During the summer months, it’s common for New Zealand families to have a barbequed meal for dinner every night. It’s quick, easy to prepare, and cooler than cooking in a hot kitchen. And just because it’s a barbeque, doesn’t mean that it’s missing any of the essential food groups. A healthy serving of carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, and optional dessert ensures a balanced and tasty meal that’s popular with the whole family.
Popular New Zealand Barbeque Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates add the satiety factor to any balanced meal. Popular carbohydrate-laden choices for a traditional New Zealand barbeque include potato salad with either beetroot or gherkin cubes, a pasta salad made from spirals or penne pasta with or without chopped salami, and crusty sliced French sticks with butter or hummus.
Barbeques occur frequently in the summer so cold dishes are more common than hot ones. This is why salads are popular. Potato and egg salad, and orzo and pumpkin salad are readily available from local supermarkets.
Popular New Zealand Barbeque Protein
For many kiwis, the protein is the best part of the traditional New Zealand barbeque. It’s also the tastiest. Popular meat options include honey and soy-marinated chicken nibbles, marinated steak, lamb strips, and pre-cooked sausages and kranskys.
Seafood lovers can indulge in skewered prawns on the barbeque. And there is no need for vegetarians to miss out. Popular barbeque substitutes for meat include tofu sausages and lentil patties. These are readily available in supermarkets.
Vegetable Dishes for Barbeques
It’s not hard to eat your greens when they are fresh. Lots of kiwi families have their own patch of garden so many salad ingredients come straight from there. Garden salads are always popular. Iceberg lettuce has been gradually replaced with fresh mesclun, spinach, rocket, and mixed herbs.
Other popular vegetable salads include beetroot salad, bean salad, and pickled tomato and cucumber salad.
Barbeque Desserts
No matter how delicious all the other barbequed food, one universal truth pervades. One must always leave room for dessert. Popular kiwi desserts include ambrosia salad which is made from marshmallows, fruit segments, and yoghurt.
Only slightly less sweet but no less popular are the following desserts:
- ice cream with canned peaches,
- pineapple or lemon meringue pie,
- ginger slice.
Traditional New Zealand Barbeques
When asked to attend a barbeque in New Zealand, you need not look any further than the options included here. For those that are culinary-challenged, all the dishes here can be bought intact from the local supermarket. For the more imaginative, any dishes made from fresh, local ingredients are sure to be a hit.
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