Welcome to the top 10 wacky culinary adventure through New Zealand’s most beloved, quirky bites. From fluffy desserts to salty spreads, we’ll explore each iconic treat, share mouth‑watering details, and sprinkle in a few cheeky facts along the way. Ready to feast?
12 Pavlova
A pavlova, affectionately called a “pav,” is a towering, over‑sized meringue that owes its name to the famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who dazzled New Zealand audiences in the 1920s. Its crust is crisp and crackly, while the interior is soft, marshmallow‑like, and airy. Traditionally, it’s crowned with whipped cream and fresh fruit – most often kiwifruit and strawberries.
(Side note – the fuzzy‑skinned green fruit is called “kiwifruit” in New Zealand to avoid any accidental confusion with the small, flightless, endangered kiwi bird.)
Made from stiffly beaten egg whites, superfine sugar, vinegar, vanilla extract, and a dash of corn‑starch, pavlova shines at Christmas but enjoys year‑round fame. A century‑long debate over its origin (NZ vs. Australia) has finally been settled in Kiwi favour. Here’s the classic recipe from the beloved Edmond’s Cookbook, a staple in many New Zealand homes and a favourite gift for teenagers moving into their first flats.
11 Cheese Rolls
At its core, a cheese roll is simply a buttered slice of white bread topped with cheese, rolled up, and lightly grilled. Some variations toss in evaporated milk, sweetcorn, pineapple, or finely chopped onion, while seasonings can range from Worcestershire sauce to mustard powder or onion soup mix.
Cheese rolls are one of the few Kiwi dishes that are island‑specific, thriving especially in the “Deep South” of the South Island, where they’re jokingly dubbed “Southern Sushi.” The earliest known recipes date back to the 1930s, and many families keep their own secret versions, passed down through generations.
With a crispy exterior and a soft, gooey interior, a cheese roll makes the perfect sidekick to a steaming bowl of soup on a chilly day.
10 Lolly Cake
Lolly cake is a fudge‑like, unbaked slice that proudly features a beloved Kiwi lolly in its mix. Eskimo candies (or fruit puffs) are pastel‑colored, soft, and sweet, resembling firm marshmallows. Their name comes from the shape that looks like a smiling Eskimo – a fact that reportedly horrifies visiting Canadians! Eskimos also appear in the iconic Kiwi ice‑cream treat, the Eskimo Pie.
Quick and relatively easy to make, lolly cake combines crushed plain malt biscuits, chopped candy, melted butter, and sweetened condensed milk. The mixture is shaped into a log, rolled in coconut, chilled, and then sliced. It’s a hit with both kids and adults – one slice never seems enough.
Enjoy it as a treat at any time, and remember: the more you eat, the happier you’ll be.
9 Whitebait Fritters
Whitebait refers to tiny juvenile fish from the Galaxiidae family that travel together in massive schools. In New Zealand, they’re a treasured delicacy, eaten whole – skin, heads, bones, and innards included.
The classic preparation is a whitebait fritter, essentially a light egg‑white omelette that cradles the delicate fish. The batter is seasoned simply with salt and white pepper to let the subtle flavor of the whitebait shine. These fritters are often served between buttered slices of soft white bread, accompanied by lemon wedges.
Unfortunately, habitat loss and over‑fishing have placed four of the five whitebait species in New Zealand at risk of extinction. Conservation groups such as Forest & Bird are urging a commercial sales ban until populations recover.
8 Paua
Paua (pronounced “pa‑wa”) is the Māori name for a large marine snail‑like gastropod, known elsewhere as abalone. While its dazzling, iridescent shell is popular for jewelry and souvenirs, the black muscular foot of the paua is a prized delicacy.
New Zealand paua boasts a robust flavor that some compare to steak rather than typical shellfish. Like calamari, it can become tough and rubbery if overcooked, so the best approach is to mince or finely slice it and incorporate it into a fritter. This method ensures tenderness while preserving its distinctive taste.
Try it in a paua fritter for a uniquely Kiwi seafood experience.
7 Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Hokey pokey ice‑cream doesn’t involve any foot‑shaking routine. In New Zealand, “hokey pokey” refers to crunchy honeycomb‑type toffee. The Tip‑Top ice‑cream company ingeniously rolled tiny, hard balls of this toffee into plain vanilla ice‑cream, creating one of the nation’s most iconic flavors.
New Zealanders rank among the world’s biggest ice‑cream consumers, averaging an astonishing 26 litres per person each year. Hokey pokey ice‑cream is a beloved staple of that consumption.
Grab a scoop and enjoy the sweet crunch that defines Kiwi dessert culture.
6 Afghan Biscuits
An Afghan biscuit is a cookie crafted from powdered cocoa, plain flour, sugar, butter, and cornflake cereal. The cookies are finished with a drizzle of chocolate icing and a single walnut perched on top.
These biscuits are soft and crumbly, rich and dense, partly because they contain relatively low sugar. The cocoa‑heavy batter can lend a slightly bitter edge, which the sweet chocolate icing balances beautifully.
Enjoy them with a cup of tea for a truly comforting Kiwi snack.
5 Marmite
Marmite is a concentrated yeast extract, a by‑product of beer production. Since 1919, New Zealand’s Sanitarium has crafted Marmite, and trademark law prevents the English version (the original) from being sold under the same name locally. While similar to Australia’s Vegemite, New Zealand’s Marmite boasts a stronger, sweeter, saltier, and slightly tangy profile – truly a “love it or hate it” spread.
Most commonly, it’s slathered on toast or crackers, or paired with cheese in a classic Marmite‑and‑cheese sandwich.
When the Christchurch factory was deemed unsafe after the 2011 earthquake, Marmite shortages sparked panic buying and price‑gouging, a crisis dubbed “Marmageddon.” Ex‑pat Kiwis always keep a jar on hand.
4 Feijoas
The feijoa, also known as pineapple guava, is a small tree from the myrtle family. Its green fruit, about the size of a chicken egg, offers a sweet, aromatic flavor that’s notoriously hard to pin down – some liken it to a blend of pineapple and mint, while others claim it tastes almost like soap.
The flesh is opaque and jelly‑like at the center, but nearer the skin it becomes gritty and granular, reminiscent of a pear’s texture.
Feijoas thrive throughout New Zealand, tolerating frost despite their warm‑subtropical origins. While they can be baked or turned into preserves, most Kiwis enjoy them raw, halved and scooped with a spoon. Their unique texture also makes them an intriguing addition to fruit smoothies.
3 Pineapple Lumps
Pineapple Lumps are rectangular, soft, chewy candies flavored with pineapple and coated in chocolate. First produced in the 1950s in Oamaru, the iconic treat sparked public outcry when Cadbury closed its Dunedin factory in 2018, forcing production to shift to Australia.
The change in recipe led die‑hard fans to complain that the Australian‑made versions lacked the robust pineapple punch and suffered from an overly gooey or gritty texture. Consequently, the remaining stock of Kiwi‑made Pineapple Lumps became highly sought after, fetching astronomical prices on online auction sites.
Despite the shift, they remain a treasured snack for most New Zealanders, cherished whether made locally or abroad.
2 L&P
L&P, short for Lemon and Paeroa, is a beloved sweet soft drink originating from the small North Island town of Paeroa. First produced in 1907, the beverage combines sweetened lemon juice with carbonated mineral water. Although the brand now belongs to global giant Coca‑Cola, its quirky slogan “World famous in New Zealand” has become part of the national lexicon.
L&P also enjoys popularity as a mixer, particularly with Southern Comfort whiskey.
1 Competition
At midnight Pacific Standard Time tonight (twenty‑four hours from now), ten commenters will be randomly selected to win a bag of both the yummy candies listed here: Eskimos and Pineapple Lumps. The competition is open to contributors worldwide, but entries must be relevant to the list and not simply repetitive.
The winners are: batlady, Missmv, Maria, mac.attack, Wyrmwood13, TriumphofDeath, Jonathan H. Kantor, TheStoneOfSisyphus, Jean Shepard, howard38, and Chelseagirl74. Congratulations! Please email [email protected] with your username, real name, delivery address (no PO Boxes), and telephone number for courier delivery.
Why This Is Part of the Top 10 Wacky List
Each of these treats showcases the playful, inventive spirit of Kiwi cuisine, earning them a spot in our top 10 wacky roundup. From sweet to savory, traditional to modern, they’re all uniquely New Zealand.