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 recipes, 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. Nutrition & Dietetics (2003) 60:3 199 Arrival ofMediterranean recipes in Australian magazines 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.

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