One of 100 great things to do in Melbourne for under $10
the White Hat guide

Food

If there is one thing that has helped Melbourne come to terms with the enormous range of ethnic and cultural differences presented by constant immigration, it would have to be FOOD.

Until the 1950's, Melbourne grew up on a diet of 'meat and 3 veg' cooked to within an inch of its life and served with salt and tomato sauce. Food was known as nosh, grub or tucker. The adventurous soul could try Chinese from Little Bourke Street - the Chinese had arrived during the gold rush of the 1850's, and, despite periodic bursts of discrimination, the hardier souls had stayed on.

With the huge influx of southern European migrants after the Second World War, Melbourne gradually acquired a taste for garlic, olive oil, pesto and Mediterranean food in general. With Melbourne's large Greek and Italian populations, you won't have to go far to enjoy a good moussaka or pasta.

With increasing immigration from Asia, Melbourne started to discover Indian, Thai and other spicy cuisines. Middle Eastern food also became popular.

But is usually the latest arrivals whose food offers the best value for money. In Melbourne at present, that definitely means Vietnamese and Cambodian. However, we are also now starting to appreciate the regional differences of African and Pacific Island foods.

The quickest way to start a civil war in Melbourne would be to force the inhabitants to restrict their diets to pre-1960 traditions.

As for prices, they vary enormously. For some reason, most Greek food in Melbourne seems overpriced. It is also difficult to find good cheap Thai food. But these things come in cycles, and in the meantime there is much else to enjoy that is great value. And if you don't want a full meal, you can usually find a cheap hearty snack or enjoy a coffee.

If you enjoy cooking up a storm in the kitchen then you can always cook your own with ingredients from food stores in Melbourne.