A sausage in a slice of white bread with fried onions on top might sound simple, but it has sparked a serious debate between New Zealand and Australia. The question that arises is: who actually invented the sausage sizzle?
For a long time, Australians have claimed the sausage sizzle as their own. It is a familiar sight outside Bunnings stores, school fairs, and polling booths on election day. But new research suggests the idea may have actually started right here in Aotearoa.
The Spinoff, a New Zealand publication, recently reported that New Zealand holds the earliest known written record of the term “sausage sizzle.” Back in 1942, a woman named Beryl Menzies held a “Popular Girl sausage sizzle” in Hamilton to raise money for wartime charities. The first recorded Australian use of the phrase did not appear until 1946, four years later.
Australian food historians are not completely convinced, though. Barbara Santich, who has written about Australian food history, says Australia was holding similar events at the time, just calling them barbecues instead. Jacqui Newling, a culinary historian, points out that being first to write something down does not always mean being first to do it.
This is not the first time the two countries have argued over food. The pavlova, the lamington, and the flat white have all been caught up in the same kind of trans-Tasman tug of war.
Whatever the result, Newling says these debates are actually a good thing. They keep shared food history alive and highlight how much Australia and New Zealand have in common, including a love of a good sausage in bread at a community event.
