The Arrival of Mediterranean Recipes and Food in Australian Magazines

Original research The arrival of Mediterranean recipes and food in Australian magazines

Ann Noah and A. Stewart Truswell

Abstract (Nutr Diet 2003;60:198–204) Objective: The Mediterranean diet is now a well known concept with Mediterranean dishes and foods widely consumed. It was postulated that one way by which the concept, dishes and foods arrived in Australia was via articles in women’s magazines that emphasise food preparation at the domestic level. Design: Descriptive study of two of the longest running Australian women’s magazines that emphasise cookery. Methods: All back issues of Australian Women’s Weekly from 1933 and of New Idea from 1934 to the end of 1995 were searched for Mediterranean recipes. These were then classified by country of origin (there are 18 Mediterranean countries) and by degree of authenticity. Results: The number of Mediterranean recipes of the different types that appeared each year are presented. These recipes started to appear in the 1960s and increased through the 1990s. Italian recipes were the most fre- quent, followed by Greek, French, Spanish and Lebanese. Conclusions: Mediterranean recipes were introduced to Australian women from the 1960s by magazines, long before recent conferences on the Mediterranean diet. Nearly all of the recipes in these magazines have been from countries on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Key words: Australian Women’s Weekly, New Idea, women’s magazines, Mediterranean diet, Mediterranean recipes

Introduction As an approach to tracing the introduction and impact of Mediterranean foods and diets in Australia, we have As part of our research on food habits (1),wehave searched the two major women’s magazines that have focussed on Mediterranean diet(s) in Australia. We col- been published from before Mediterranean foods and lected information on food habits from different dishes became part of mainstream Australian food habits individual immigrants from 17 Mediterranean up to 1995. The Australian Women’s Weekly has been pub- countries (2). We have analysed FAO Food Balance Sheets lished since 1933 and New Idea since 1902. for the 18 Mediterranean countries and Australia from the 1960s to the late 1990s and found that there has been As the two magazines have aimed for somewhat dif- some convergence. Australia’s current food consumption ferent readerships and their cookery editors have had is closer to that of Italy and Greece than it was in the different experience and interests, we thought that both 1960s (3). magazines should be systematically scrutinised. The find- ings for each are different, so they are presented here in Several developments have influenced the adoption of separate tables. Mediterranean foods and recipes in Australia in the last 40 to 50 years. One is the arrival of nearly 1.5 million settlers In the early issues of these magazines (i.e. before the from Italy, Greece, Lebanon and other Mediterranean 1960s), Mediterranean foods and recipes rarely appeared countries (4) bringing with them some of their own foods and when they did, they were not authentic. As we contin- and establishing restaurants. Another is health messages, ued searching issue after issue, Mediterranean recipes and starting with Ancel Keys (5–7) that ‘the’ Mediterranean diet is associated with low rates of heart disease. Austral- ians have travelled increasingly and enjoyed Mediterranean countries and cuisine. The pressure to pre- pare quick meals favours some Mediterranean recipes like pasta dishes and fruit desserts (instead of puddings). But it Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of also seems that cookery writers in Australia, some proud Sydney of their own cuisine, others following those like Elizabeth A. Noah, MSc, PhD Candidate David (8) have played a central role in bringing some of A. Stewart Truswell, AO, MD, DSc FRACP, FIUNS, Emeritus Professor Correspondence: A. Noah, A.S. Truswell, Human Nutrition Unit, the more adaptable Mediterranean recipes into Australian Biochemistry Building G08, University of Sydney NSW 2006. Email: kitchens and homes and thus changing our food habits. [email protected]

198 Nutrition & Dietetics (2003) 60:3 Arrival ofMediterranean recipes in Australian magazines foods started to appear. This is one form of evidence, from Counting the Mediterranean recipes the Australian literature, that these meals were being In general, a recipe is a list of ingredients and instructions made and consumed here. The second type of evidence for making a food dish. For this project, a recipe was con- for introduction and adoption of Mediterranean recipes sidered Mediterranean if it was: can be seen in a study of historical Australian cookbooks. This will be reported in another paper. (1) identified as Mediterranean; or

Magazines (2) titled according to one of the Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Australian Women’s Weekly Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco); and The Australian Women's Weekly began in a newspaper format on 10 June 1933, when it cost two pence (2d) and (3) made of more than two Mediterranean ingredients. was only available at first in New South Wales. Before The size of the recipe on the page was not taken into long, it became so popular that it was distributed to all consideration in counting recipes but the number of the Australian states and by 1937 distribution in New Zealand ingredients and method of cooking were used to classify had commenced. The magazine has undergone many recipes into three categories: changes since it began, including a change to a more con- venient size in 1975. In 1979 the Australian Women’s Authentic when the name of the dish, recipe(s), the Weekly changed to a new format, coated stock and perfect ingredients and methods of cooking were in the original binding and in 1983 became a monthly publication tradition ( e.g. pizza base and toppings prepared without (despite its continuing name!). any changes, very basic topping with little mozzarella cheese and tomato paste, not with fruits or curry chicken). The first food editor in 1933 was Margaret Shepherd. On 2 March 1935 Ruth Furst became the food editor and Small changes if the name was Mediterranean but on 10 July 1937 she introduced the first Mediterranean other name(s) were added or if one of the main ingredients recipe in the magazine, Italian ‘Risotto’. was replaced by a non-Mediterranean one (e.g. Moroccan couscous with Thai green curry chicken). New Idea Large changes where recipes have only the name with New Idea was first published in August 1902 in Mel- minimal Mediterranean ingredients (e.g. Italian tiramisu, bourne, Victoria and became a weekly paper for but used cream cheese, instant coffee, ready-made cake, Australian and New Zealand women. The first ethnic rec- or ‘Greek salad’ which had one authentic ingredient ipe was published on 23 November 1949 and was an which was tomatoes, no Kalamata olives, no feta cheese introduction to the Chinese style of cooking. The first and vegetable oil instead of olive oil). Mediterranean recipes were Italian and appeared on 15 June 1955, authored by Mary Farmer who became the Data collection and interpretation cookery editor on 3 February 1960. Data for Australian Women’s Weekly issues were recorded In 1980 Margaret Fulton became the cookery editor of manually in the library on paper then entered into a com- New Idea, and in 1984 she was joined by her daughter puter and for New Idea the data and special notes about Suzanne Gibbs and as food editors they continued to each recipe or issue were entered directly by computer. 2003.

Results Methods The results are described broadly in the following text and Libraries the numbers of recipes and categories are shown in the tables (Tables 1 and 3 for Australian Women’s Weekly and ThesearchofbackissuesofAustralian Women’s Weekly Tables2and3forNew Idea) and figures (Figure 1 for and New Idea was made in Sydney. The Australian Australian Women’s Weekly and Figure 2 for New Idea). Women’s Weekly from 1933 to 1995 was available on These are in order of the number of recipes from each microfilm at the State Library of New South Wales and all Mediterranean country. From searching the longest these issues were searched. Copies of New Idea from 2 printed media in Australia written for Australian women, March 1934 to 1957 were found at the State Library of we found the following results. NSW but issues from 1957 to 1971 were missing. The publishers, Pacific Publications, Sydney, gave permission The 1930s to search their own library for all issues up to 1995. During the 1930s, only the Australian Women’s Weekly Missing issues published Mediterranean recipes. These were Italian reci- pes, such as risotto with large changes and using There were no missing issues of the Australian Women’s Australian ingredients in place of Mediterranean ones. Weekly. Both publications ceased during World War 2. These recipes had only the name without any Mediterra- The following issues of New Idea were missing from both nean ingredients or cooking methods. French recipes also the State Library and the publisher’s library: 22, 29 Janu- appeared during the 1930s but the majority of these were ary 1964 and 4, 5, 11 and 26 March 1964 and appeared to not from the Mediterranean part of France. They were for be unavailable anywhere. different types of omelette, pastries and gateaux.

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The 1940s Mediterranean recipes appeared in small numbers (see Table 2). Both magazines were discontinued during World War 2, re-appearing in 1948 with Italian recipes, such as spa- During this period, some Mediterranean ingredients ghetti meat loaf and spaghetti with meatballs as part of were expensive and not generally accessible. Therefore advertisements for Heinz food company in the Australian few Australians cooked with them or even tasted them. Women’s Weekly. A cookery competition organised by the Australian Women’s Weekly in the same year did not The 1980s include any recipes using olive oil and only one men- The Australian Women’s Weekly published 277 Mediterra- tioned garlic. nean recipes: 148 were authentic, 93 recipes had small changes, and 36 recipes had large changes (see Table 1). The 1950s There were 176 Italian recipes (95 authentic, 65 small The Australian Women’s Weekly published six Italian reci- changes, and 16 large changes) and 61 Greek recipes (35 pes, four had large changes (no olive oil, and garlic authentic, 18 small changes and eight large changes). optional), and the others presented an Italian style of Other Mediterranean recipes included three Lebanese cooking and ingredients. Four Italian recipes with large (two authentic). By the 1980s, Asian recipes were found changes appeared in New Idea. in most issues of the magazine. They had appeared rarely in earlier issues. The 1960s New Idea published 435 Mediterranean recipes; 285 The number and variety of Mediterranean recipes authentic, 126 with small changes and 24 with large increased noticeably during this period. The Australian changes. There were 193 Italian recipes (135 authentic), Women’s Weekly published 31 Mediterranean recipes from 69 French recipes (56 authentic), 95 Greek recipes (55 Spain, Turkey and Greece for the first time along with authentic), and 26 Spanish recipes (16 authentic). It was a Italian recipes. Some recipes were authentic and some had time of acceptance of new flavours (see Table 3). small changes. Ingredients such as salami and olives were presented as side dishes. No Mediterranean recipes The 1990s appeared from 1961 to 1971, most of the recipes were Throughout the six years searched (1990 to 1995), the Chinese and non-Mediterranean French recipes. Australian Women’s Weekly published 395 Mediterranean During this period New Idea published 140 Mediterra- recipes: 216 of these were authentic, 128 had small nean recipes: 67 Italian (18 authentic recipes, 37 with changes, and 51 had large changes. Most of the Mediterra- small changes and 12 with large changes); 20 Greek reci- nean recipes were Italian (292) and Greek (71, with 25 pes (six authentic, ten with small changes and four with authentic) and a few were from Spain, Lebanon and large changes), 22 French (four authentic, 13 had small Egypt. The rest of the international recipes were from changes and five had large changes) and 19 recipes from Asia and India. Spain (11 authentic and eight had small changes), and New Idea published 377 Mediterranean recipes, 251 nine recipes from other Mediterranean countries. authentic, 119 with small changes and seven with large Both magazines were influenced by Australians trav- changes. There were 242 Italian recipes (181 authentic), elling to different countries e.g. Spain, Italy and Greece. 71 Greek recipes (39 authentic), 27 French recipes and 25 Cruise tours were described and advertised in New Idea, Spanish recipes (see Table 2). for example, ‘Chef Antonio Arena of the Lloyd Triestino luxury liner, Marconi…presented to his passengers many Discussion regional dishes from Italy and France’. Meanwhile, the food editors presented Mediterranean recipes as part of Most Mediterranean dishes and foods arrived in Australia their own experience of and liking for these dishes. after World War 2. There are no continuing records of the meals of ordinary families to answer the question of how The 1970s they came into our food habits. It is very difficult to obtain useful records of production or sales of ingredients like The Australian Women’s Weekly published 142 Mediterra- garlic, oregano, olive oil and some different types of nean recipes during the 1970s, 67 authentic, 29 with large pasta. Restaurants only provide food and drinks for a changes and 46 with small changes. The highest number minority of the population. We reasoned that a feasible of recipes was Italian, total 43 (26 authentic, four small method for studying the introduction of Mediterranean changes and 13 large changes). Thirty-five Greek recipes foods and recipes would be to estimate their appearance in (19 authentic, five large changes, and 11 small changes) women’s magazines. We selected two long running maga- were published; French recipes totalled nine; Lebanese zines that have emphasised food and cooking. recipes 26, Spanish 21 and there were eight Turkish reci- pes (see Table 1). The concept of the Mediterranean diet for nutrition education became popular overseas and in Australia in the New Idea published 144 Mediterranean recipes, 63 1990s (9,10) but by this stage Mediterranean recipes and authentic, 75 with small changes and six had large ingredients were well established in Australia. Our search changes. Total Italian recipes were 63, (31 authentic and has shown that Mediterranean ingredients and recipes 32 with small changes); Greek recipes were 23 (ten were rare up until the 1960s. From then until now Medi- authentic recipes and 13 with small changes); French reci- terranean recipes have appeared frequently in the pes were 23 (but only five authentic); and Spanish recipes magazines. In the early decades most of the Mediterra- were 27 (12 authentic and 15 with small changes). Other nean recipes published were not authentic. This may have

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Table 1. Mediterranean recipes, by year, in Australian Women's Weekly magazine

Date of issues Countries Authentic Modified(a) Date of issues Countries Authentic Modified(a) 1935 Italy 2 1(3) 1979 Turkey 1 4(2) 1936 Italy 1 2(1) 1979 Lebanon 1 2(4) 1937 Italy - 1(1) 1980 Spain 1 4(1) 1938 Italy - 4 1980 France 3 2(1) 1948 Italy 1 (1) 1980 Italy 12 15 1949 France 1 (1) 1980 Greece 8 10(1) 1955 Italy 1 1(4) 1980 Lebanon 2 1 1960 Spain 5 2 1981 Spain 4- 1960 Italy 2 4 1981 France 1 1 1960 Turkey 4 (4) 1981 Italy 16 13(2) 1961 Spain 1- 1981 Greece 10 1(2) 1961 Italy 5- 1982 Italy 10 12(5) 1961 Greece 3- 1982 Greece 3 1(4) 1961 Turkey - 1 1984 Italy 12 8(2) 1971 Spain 1 3 1986 Spain 5 3(1) 1971 Italy 5 2(1) 1986 France 4 (6) 1972 Greece 3 1(3) 1986 Italy 22 12(4) 1974 Spain 1- 1986 Greece 14 6(1) 1974 Italy 3 1 1988 Italy 23 5(3) 1974 Greece 4- 1990 Spain 1- 1976 France 1- 1990 Italy 26 5(8) 1976 Italy 5 3 1990 Greece 4 7(4) 1976 Greece 4 2 1990 Lebanon 5 2(3) 1976 Turkey 1- 1990 Egypt 2 4(1) 1976 Lebanon 2 1 1991 Spain 1 4 1977 Spain 3 1(5) 1991 Italy 14 15(6) 1977 France 1 (2) 1991 Greece 2 8 1977 Italy 5 2(1) 1991 Lebanon 1 - 1977 Lebanon 3 1(3) 1992 Italy 16 20(4) 1978 Spain 1 3 1992 Greece 3 9(1) 1978 France 1 4 1993 Italy 37 5(9) 1978 Greece 5 3(1) 1993 Greece 16 12(5) 1978 Lebanon 3 2(4) 1993 Lebanon 5 3 1979 Spain 2 1 1994 Italy 39 22(10) 1979 Italy 8 5(2) 1995 Italy 44 12 1979 Greece 3 5(1)

(a) In the modified column numbers without brackets had small changes from authentic, whereas numbers in brackets had large changes.

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Table 2. Mediterranean recipes, by year, in New Idea magazine Date of issues Countries Authentic Modified(a) Date of issues Countries Authentic Modified(a) 1955 Italy - (3) 1983 Greece 10 9 1955 Cyprus - (3) 1983 Lebanon 4 7 1960 Italy - (4) 1984 Malaysia -- 1963 France - 6(1) 1986 Spain 6- 1963 Italy - 16(1) 1986 France 29 3(1) 1963 Greece - 1(2) 1986 Italy 32 3(5) 1964 Spain - 4 1986 Greece 9 1 1964 France - 2 1986 Turkey 1 (2) 1964 Italy - 5(3) 1986 Tunisia (1) 1964 Greece - 2(2) 1986 Lebanon 1 1(1) 1964 Egypt - (2) 1986 Malta - 1(1) 1964 Morocco - (1) 1987 Spain 5 2 1965 Italy 2 1 1987 France 15 7 1965 Lebanon - 3(1) 1987 Italy 20 18(3) 1965 Spain 7 3 1987 Greece 6 1 1966 France - 2 1987 Lebanon 2 3(1) 1966 Italy 5 2 1987 Italy 15 13(3) 1966 Greece - 2 1987 Greece 5 6 1967 Spain 1- 1988 Tunisia - 1 1967 France 4- 1988 Morocco 3 (1) 1967 Italy 2 7(1) 1988 Spain 4 7 1968 France - 3(4) 1988 France 9 1 1968 Italy 4 2(3) 1989 Italy 30 2 1968 Greece 1 4 1989 Greece 12 1 1969 Spain 3 1 1989 Turkey 4 5 1969 Italy 5 4 1989 Tunisia 1- 1969 Greece 5 1 1989 Lebanon 6 (2) 1972 Spain 3 2 1989 Malta 1 2 1972 France 2 1 1989 Spain 1 1 1972 Italy 1 10 1989 France 3 1 1972 Greece 3 6 1990 Italy 28 4 1973 Malta 3 1990 Greece 5 9 1975 Spain 2 3 1990 Spain 3 7 1975 France 3 9 1990 France 11 1 1975 Italy 10 8 1991 Italy 49 - 1975 Greece 7 5 1991 Greece 7 11 1975 Turkey - (2) 1991 Spain - 1 1976 Spain - 1 1991 France 5 10 1976 France - 1 1992 Italy 17 22 1976 Italy - 9 1992 Greece 19 5 1976 Greece - 2 1992 Brazil -- 1978 Spain 7 9 1992 Italy 24 11 1978 Italy 8 5 1992 Greece 8 7 1978 Lebanon 2 1 1993 Lebanon 3 5 1979 Italy 12 - 1993 Spain 7 6(1) 1979 France - 3(4) 1993 Italy 34 (5) 1980 Italy 4 2(3) 1994 Italy 29 19 1980 Greece 1 4 1994 Lebanon 21(1) 1982 Italy 34 6 1982 Greece 12 18 (a) In the modified column numbers without brackets had small changes from authentic, whereas number in brackets had large changes

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196 0- 196 9 197 0- 197 9 198 0- 198 9 199 0- 199 5

70% 65% 60% 55% 50% 45% 40% 35%

all 30% 25% 20% 15 % 10 % 5% 0% Italian Greek French Spanish Lebanese Turkish Other Mediterranean re cipe s Figure 1. Percentages of Mediterranean recipes in Australian Women's Weekly by decade

70% 65% 60% 55% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% % of all recipies 15 % 10 % 5% 0% Italian Greek French Spanish Lebanese Turkish Other Mediterranean recipes Figure 2. Percentages of Mediterranean recipies in New Idea magazine by decade

been the cookery writers’ method of gradually introducing yards were established in some areas. As their population these recipes. Ingredients such as garlic, olive oil, salami, increased, business people imported foodstuff from their basil, and coriander, that are in all Australian supermar- countries of origin. Australians established their new cui- kets today, were largely inaccessible then, and consumers sine by purchasing foreign foods and trying new and were unfamiliar with their flavours. From 1961 to the different cooking method and ingredients (4). 1980s most of the Mediterranean recipes were authentic. Their ingredients started to be stocked in grocery shops More recently Australian cuisine is tending to modify and their flavours became increasingly acceptable. Italian ethnic recipes, e.g. to mix Asian and Mediterranean styles, recipes fitted well with lifestyles where many women to introduce new ingredients that were not original, such were working and time for food preparation had been as risotto with kangaroo or burger on spaghetti and using compressed. different Asian sauces for Italian recipes or a mix of Moroccan with Indian dishes. Although only limited numbers of Mediterranean migrants have come to live in Australia, they have made a By far the most popular Mediterranean recipes from the magazines have been Italian (see Figures 1 and 2). We vital impact on Australian cookery and food availability. observed that it is the most successful non-British cuisine The European migrants planted olive groves and vine- in Australia; it is hard to find any restaurant’s menu with-

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out spaghetti bolognese, pizza, espresso coffee and (a) (a) cappuccino. The reasons that the Italian dishes have become popular in Australia appear to be that many of them are easy and quick to prepare, the ingredients are now generally available and inexpensive, yet the flavours are enjoyable to a wide range of Australians. Most women 79% 93% 98% are working outside the home, time for food preparation has decreased and home economics has lost its former place in schools. Entrepreneurs with origins in northern Mediterranean countries have enabled the wide availabil- ity of ingredients for simple Italian and Greek cooking in supermarkets. In conclusion, we have found that Mediterranean reci- pes and ingredients started to appear regularly in two

- major Australian magazines in the 1960s. Their numbers recipes % of Mediterranean recipes recipes % of Mediterranean recipes have increased in every decade since then. These were the only exotic recipes in the magazines until the 1990s but Other Mediterranean Other Mediterranean Asian recipes have increasingly appeared in recent years. We suggest that the frequent appearance of Mediterranean recipes in these magazines is a useful indicator of the 9- 8- uptake of Mediterranean food habits in the community. It is likely that adoption of Mediterranean dishes into gen- eral Australian food habits has increased the variety of what we eat and may have made the Australian diet in 26 some ways healthier. In another paper (3) we have reported that there has been some convergence of Austral- ian food consumption and that of Italy and Greece. 8- 21 19 3 Acknowledgments

The University of Sydney Nutrition Research Foundation pro-

9 vided a scholarship to Ann Noah during the first half of this 18 project. Margaret Fulton kindly shared some of her experiences with us. We thank the staff of the State Library of NSW and also New Idea the Pacific Publications library for permission and help in

3 searching the missing issues of New Idea. Dr Dianne Volker pro- 35 61 vided advice and support. Australian Women’s Weekly

11 References 43 176 1. Truswell AS, Wahlqvist ML. Food habits in Australia: Proceedings of the First Deakin/Sydney Universities Symposium on Australian Nutrition. North Balwyn, Victoria; 1988.

2. Noah A, Truswell AS. There are many Mediterranean diets. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 2001;10:2–9.

31 3. Noah A, Truswell AS. Commodities consumed in Italy, Greece and 142 277 other Mediterranean countries compared with Australia in 1960s and 1990s. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 2003;12:

4. Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs. Fact Sheet 4. Over 50 years of post-war migration. Canberra: DIMIA; 1996.

5. Keys A, Fidanza F, Scardi G, Bergami MH, Dilorenzo F. Studies on serum cholesterol and other characteristics in clinically healthy men in Naples. Arch Inter Med 1954;93:328–35.

6. Keys A and 23 others. Coronary heart disease in seven countries.

39 Circulation 1970;41 Suppl 1:1–211. 153 283 7. Ferro-Luzzi A, Sette S. The Mediterranean diet: an attempt to define its present and past composition. Eur J Clin Nutr 1989;43 Total Mediterranean and Total Mediterranean and Suppl 2:13–29. non-Mediterranean recipes Total Mediterranean recipes Italian Greek French Spanish Lebanese Turkish non-Mediterranean recipes Total Mediterranean recipes Italian Greek French Spanish Lebanese Turkish 8. David E. A book of Mediterranean food. London: Penguin; 1950.

9. Profiles in nutrition: The Mediterranean diet for the new millen- nium. Aust J Nutr Diet 1998;55(4):2S–36S. Years Years 10. Truswell AS. Practical and realistic approaches to healthier diet 1990–95 450 395 292 71 6 19 7 88% 1960–69 1970–79 1980–89 1960–691970–791980–891990–95 145 157 484 381 140 144 435 377 67 63 193 20 242 23 95 22 71 23 69 19 27 27 26 25 4 3 28 12 12 2 8 12 3 97% 90% 92% 99% Table 3. Number of recipes found in the magazines (a) Total recipes/total Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean recipes x 100. modifications. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:583S–90S.

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