Thread by @EsmeBrett, Something you might not know about Aotearoa [New Zealand] is that we’re [...]

Something you might not know about Aotearoa [New Zealand] is that we’re extremely territorial about a niche type of dessert.

A thread.

1/20

I’m personally ambivalent about most of NZ’s stereotypical pākehā icons --

Marmite? Don’t care

Phar Lap? Who’s she

But pavlova? YUM

2/20

E noho, [sit down], let me tell you about the fascinating yet banal history of how NZ has been fighting with Australia over a summer pudding for 100+ years.

3/20

Pavlova, (commonly referred to as ‘pav’ which in my accent sound like “pehve”) is a delicate cake that’s marshmallow texture on the inside and crisp meringue on the outside, topped with fruit like as kiwifruit and strawberries.

: Creative Commons, pav as described

4/20

Pavlova, (commonly referred to as ‘pav’ which in my accent sound like “pehve”) is a delicate cake that’s marshmallow texture on the inside and crisp meringue on the outside, topped with fruit like as kiwifruit and strawberries.: Creative Commons, pav as described4/20

About a hundred things can go wrong when you bake a pav, which is why I’ve never made one, I just have double helpings of Auntie Elaine’s at Christmas time.

Pav is art and science.

See here a bad pav:

Collapsed. Sad.

: Cliche, alttext incl

5/20

About a hundred things can go wrong when you bake a pav, which is why I’ve never made one, I just have double helpings of Auntie Elaine’s at Christmas time.Pav is art and science.See here a bad pav:Collapsed. Sad.: Cliche, alttext incl5/20

And here is a good pav:

Fluffy. Joyful.

Feat. fruit artfully arranged.

: Stuff Media

6/20

And this is sacrilege:

: Nigella Lawson’s chocolate pav. Chocolate has no business near a pav. Wtf

7/20

Pav is a Christmas staple in Aotearoa, partly because it’s cool — it’s summer here during the festive season so if you try and scoff down hot raisin pud or whatever gross stuff you North Hemmies are eating then you’ll sweat your face off

8/20

— and because it’s light enough you can have some after you’ve already had two helpings of Christmas ham for lunch.

Where this story gets particularly eccentric is that New Zealanders think we invented the pavlova, and Australians think they did.

9/20

And we’ve been fighting over it for YEARS.

Just like we have about who gets the most credit for Phar Lap, and which is better Marmite or Vegemite.

But pav is the important debate here, those other two are frivolous and silly

10/20

THE LEGEND GOES LIKE THIS: in the 1920s a Russian ballerina came to Aotearoa and everyone was stoked because no one ever came here. Like, ever.

We’re the bottom of the world, it’s not exactly on the way to anywhere. Other than Antarctica.

No one just pops in for a cuppa

11/20

We pretty much dined out on the excitement of this ballet trip until 1964 when the Beatles came and the crowds went nuts — which everyone said was New Zealand’s version of Beatlemania but tbh I think we were just excited to have some visitors

12/20

This one chef in Pōneke [Wellington] fixated on the Russian ballerina’s tutu.

Either we didn’t have tutus here (maybe our ballet dancers were wearing something more comfy? Idk, one can hope) or we just didn’t have any so extravagant

13/20

Anyway this chef was like, ‘DAMN that dress is AMAZING (verbatim 1920’s quote) and I’m OBSESSED’

Now, the other thing you need to know about NZ is that in addition to a natural flair for kōrero [stories], we consider tearing each other down a matter of national importance

14/20

So when the chef had this great idea to make an air-light cake like a dancer’s tutu, everyone immediately rubbished it

Not because it wasn’t a good idea, but bc we’re a bunch of caustic little shits and we hate when one person stands out with a good idea

15/20

We’d rather everyone just be average together.

But this chef in 1927 wasn’t having any of it, he was like, ‘shut up you lot, let me ~create~’ and whipped up a delicious homage to the Russian ballerina’s tutu

16/20

Then we all embraced this sublime invention while completely forgetting the name of the chef who invented it (that’ll learn him for daring to stand out!) and most of us will absolutely die on the hill that the pavlova was born in Aotearoa and is a Kiwi invention

17/20

The Aus version of this story is exactly the same except for it was in Perth not Pōneke

But NZ successfully claimed credit for this delicious invention by being the first ones to write it down. Classic coloniser behaviour — just keep saying something is yours until it is

18/20

However in the process of researching this thread (yes, I researched, told you we were serious about pav) I discovered a 3,000+ word article from 2015 by a woman who has been researching this AS HER FULL TIME JOB.

I didn’t read the whole thing — I care, but not that much

19/20

I’m 80% confident that New Zealand invented the pav, and 20% convinced that I don’t really care who did.

Pav is yum and if I may be so bold: The Murky and Mysterious Origins of the Pacific Pavlova would make an excellent Netflix series and/or novel.

Thank you

20/20

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