Pavlova

Lore & Background

The pavlova is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer Anna Pavlova during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two nations for many years. Both nations claim the dish as a national symbol, and it is an important part of their national cuisines, frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals, especially in summer and at Christmas time.

Early recipes resembling pavlova include a 1922 Australian cookbook containing 'Meringue with Fruit Filling', though some dispute its connection. A recipe named 'pavlova cake' appeared in New Zealand in 1929, and another in 1934. In Australia, a 1935 claim attributes creation to Bert Sachse at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth. Other researchers trace the dessert's origins to the Austro-Hungarian Spanische Windtorte and German-American Schaumtorte, with American corn starch packages exported to New Zealand in the 1890s.

Michael Symons has declared that pavlova has no singular birthplace, describing it as a 'social invention' with recipes circulating under various names across both countries. Matthew Evans noted that it is unlikely a definitive answer about the dessert's origins will ever be found, as meringue with cream has been made for a long time.

Reader's Guide

Pavlova holds cultural significance as a national symbol for both Australia and New Zealand, representing a long-standing culinary dispute between the two nations. It is frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals, particularly in summer and at Christmas time in the southern hemisphere. The dessert is made similarly to meringue, with egg whites beaten to stiff consistency, sugar, acid (vinegar or lemon juice), cornflour, and vanilla, then baked slowly and left to cool overnight. Its distinctive texture features a crisp outer shell and a soft, moist marshmallow-like centre, attributed to the cornflour. Toppings traditionally include whipped cream and fresh soft fruits such as kiwifruit, passionfruit, and strawberries, with regional variations: New Zealand pavlova often uses kiwifruit, while Australian versions may include passionfruit or pineapple. The Oxford English Dictionary noted the first recorded recipe of pavlova from 1927 in New Zealand, though that was a multi-coloured jelly dish. The dispute over its origin remains unresolved, with multiple claims and counterclaims from both countries.

Did You Know?

• A recipe for 'Strawberries Pavlova' appeared in the New Zealand Herald on 11 November 1911, but it was a kind of ice block or sorbet.
• The first recipe for a dish bearing the name pavlova was published in 1926 by the Davis Gelatine company in Sydney, but it was a multi-layered jelly, not the meringue dessert.
• The Beverley Times claimed that Bert Sachse created the dish at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, Western Australia, in 1935.
• Research by Andrew Paul Wood and Annabelle Utrecht traced the modern pavlova's origins to the Austro-Hungarian Spanische Windtorte.