Australia Day ... "Lamo" Fest!

If you are living or traveling overseas you might stumble across holidays and festivals which are not only fun and exotic but highly symbolic and reveal a lot about the people of that country.  Perhaps you didn't even know these festivals or holidays existed before you lobbed in your adopted country.  I remember celebrating the Bon Festival in Japan which involved visiting the tombs of my host family's deceased relatives, cleaning the tombs then eating sweets grave side.   I'm also reminded of watching awesome fireworks in Boston on Independence Day, and in Thailand watching hundreds of Lanterns float into the air at a Buddhist festival.  But what of Australia Day?  It's the country of my birth, it's the place I love to visit and will be always be my favourite place in the world, but I have to admit I'm never quite sure how to celebrate it... beyond beer and a BBQ.

I'm sure plenty of Australian's would disagree or at least tell me that BBQ and beer is the quintessential way to celebrate Australia day, so get on and enjoy it!

For those of you perhaps less familiar with the Australia day origins, here tis in a nut shell....

Date: 26th January.
Commemorates: The arrival of the "first fleet" in Sydney (basically boatloads of prisoners for whom there was no room in the jails of London)!  Yes we are a nation of convicts and proud of it.  Also marks the colonisation of Australia to the British.  Of course time has seen many subsequent waves of people arriving to the shores of Australia from all over the world so Australia day is now an all in "cultural extravaganza" which is billed as celebrating all the diversity of people and cultures you find in modern Australia.
How to celebrate Australia Day: I think it's fair to say that a BBQ is on the cards for many Australian families on 26th January.  However, what will be sizzling on those BBQ's will vary wildly (kebabs? sausages? yakitori?  chicken satay?)....
The First Australians: Australia's Indigenous people have generally considered Australia day a black mark on their own history.  The Indigenous people endured many years of inequality and hardship and to this day many refer to Australia day as Invasion day.

 Miss May and I decided to mark the occasion by baking.  There are a few deserts that I have always considered "Australian", pavlova, lamingtons being the most obvious but apparently the New Zealanders have claimed both!  Anyway we made lamingtons with a bunch of friends and this was the result.

THE STORY GOES... Sir Lamington who was the Governor Of Queensland at the turn of the century, demanded sweets one night for unexpected guests.  With little time to prepare his Chef (who was frenchman Arnand Gallad... not Australian at all) used left over sponge cake, dipped it in chocolate sauce and rolled it around in coconut.... VOILA!

Interestingly coconut was little known back then.  Apparently Gallad's wife was from Taihiti and so was familia with coconut!  Anyway the kids loved it!

If you are after a great Australian picture book you really cant go past Possum Magic by the Mem Fox. It is a great story for kids and features the much loved Lamington!

Happy Australia Day (I know this post is late but one need not wait for next Australia Day to enjoy making Lamo's at home... get on it, they're delish!)