Are these Australia’s worst foods?

You’d imagine Vegemite would be on top of the list when asking non-Australians to name their most hated Australian food..

Online food encyclopedia TasteAtlas has done a deep dive into what it considers are Australia’s worst foods and has come up with a few surprises. And, yes, one of them is Vegemite. 

Number one worst food

Top of the most hated is that country show favourite, the Dagwood Dog. 

I fully support this decision. They are vile. A battered sav with that permanent dipping of sauce that maintains its shape. How is that possible? On the other hand, if I was at a show tomorrow and someone offered me one, I’d probably eat it.

TasteAtlas claims it’s also known as a Pluto pup and Dippy dog, but I don’t believe it. 

2. Sao biscuits

This seems harsh. Tasteless, yes. Boring, also yes. But worst food? I feel they could have tried harder.

TasteAtlas explains how when squeezed together with butter in between, the two biscuits produce ‘worms’ of butter, which can also be achieved by using Vegemite. I only remember doing that with Saladas. Am I repressing a childhood memory? 

3. Dolly Varden cake

I must have missed this cultural icon. Barbie cakes, yes, but I’ve never heard them described as Dolly Varden cakes.

Seems like the sort of thing the Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book would have covered. 

Anyway, it’s named after a Charles Dickens character who wore bold clothes and apparently inspired a lot of popular culture at the time, including a layered cake. 

Somehow this is the ancestor of this doll-in-cake that lives on today. I feel TasteAtlas may be giving this more prominence than the reality of how often this cake turns up. 

5. Vegemite

Finally! If I was Vegemite, I’d be feeling a bit insulted to be so far down the list. It’s in Sweden’s Disgusting Food Museum for goodness’ sake.

After describing how it’s made, all TasteAtlas can say is that the taste is “an acquired one”. Lame. 

5. Spaghetti on toast

I do not understand, this is insulting. Tinned spaghetti on toast with lashings of butter is a staple of can’t-be-bothered meals. This mob needs a serious rethink at this point.

6. Fritz and sauce

Now, this is more like it. Processed meat, commercial tomato sauce on white bread. It’s like the ‘70s came to life again. 

TasteAtlas explains that Fritz is a type of sausage made of beef, lamb and pork trimmings. Mystery meat, in other words. Also known as ‘bung’, Devon and polony, although this is mired in controversy. There are whole internet pages on the issue. 

Whatever you want to call it, these sandwiches were a staple of many Australian childhoods, although I can only imagine the disdain if I served it up to my children now.

Numbers 7 and 8

Rounding out the next two spots are Iced Vo Vos and Yo Yo biscuits. On these two, they are simply wrong and no further correspondence will be entered into.  

9. Pie floater

Nailed it. These are repulsive and whoever invented them needs their name scraped from history. For steaming drunks and juvenile dares only. I’ve never understood the appeal. Looks revolting, and I’ll never know about the taste, because I’m never eating one. Who would have thought floating a pie in soup would be a good idea. Soggy pastry … yuck. I think I’ll stop now. 

10. Boston buns

Sorry, another fail. Another childhood memory unlocked. Boston buns are delightful, airy sweet rewards you had once a week when your parents went to the bakery on Saturdays. They get their special taste from mashed potato, you read that right. And another appeal was the mock cream and coconut on top. Don’t let anyone tell you any different, these must be cherished at all costs. 

Do you agree with this list? What’s your worst ‘Australian’ food? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?

Also read: How to eat your way to better sleep