In Australia and New Zealand, a meat pie is a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat aussie chicken pie gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. This variant of the standard meat pie is considered iconic.
It was described by New South Wales Premier Bob Carr in 2003 as Australia’s “national dish”. Manufacturers of pies in Australia tend to be state-based, reflecting the long distances involved with interstate transport and lack of refrigeration capabilities in the early years of pie production. Many pies sold ready-to-eat at smaller outlets are sold unbranded and may be locally produced, produced by a brand-name vendor, or even imported, frozen pies heated prior to serving. An Australian meat pie was produced in 1947 by L. Due to its relationship with Australian rules football, Four’n Twenty has iconic status in Victoria. In South Australia, Balfours and Vili’s have been making pies for over a century.
