| Imagine a dish of ‘watalappan’ or a pot of ‘kiri peni’ on a Sri Lankan stamp. These may be your favourite desserts but whoever will think of featuring them on stamps. If you ask the postal authorities, they will just laugh and tell you that there are more interesting topics to be features on stamps.
Other countries are looking for new subjects all the time – subjects that will be talked about, subjects that are close to the people. Would you believe it -Australia’s latest set of stamps, for instance, feature the country’s most popular desserts. Titled’ Not Just Desserts’, Australia Post has just released four stamps focusing on four of the country’s iconic dishes. Apart from the mouth-watering colourful illustrations, each relates a fascinating story.
The four stamps feature Pavlova, Peach Melba, Lamingtons, and Anzac Biscuits – names synonymous with the culinary art of Australia. While studying how best these dishes could be displayed, postal authorities found that much of the culinary history is steeped in myth including when and where the dishes were created.
There was much debate as to the creation of pavlova – the large, soft-centered meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit – a popular dessert since the early 20th century. While many wonder whether it was first made in New Zealand or Australia, there is no dispute as to its inspiration – the Russian prime ballerina Anna Pavlova.
It is said that the head chef of the Esplanade Hotel in Perth (his name was Herbert Sasche) created it in 1935 inspired by the great ballerina in her solo dance The Dying Swan, a role revered worldwide. Sasche placed whipped cream and fruit on top of meringue. Its whiteness and ethereal quality made it a fitting tribute to the ballerina.
Dame Nellie Melba (1859-1931) was Australia’s first world-renowned opera singer. Among several dishes named after her were Melba toast and the dessert Peach Melba, a combination of poached peaches and raspberry sauce served with vanilla ice cream. In 1892, Melba was living at the Savoy Hotel in London when the head chef Auguste Escofier heard her sing at Covent Garden and created the dessert in her honour. He served the Peach Melba at a dinner Dame Nellie was hosting.
The lamington is a square piece of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and then coated in dessicated coconut. The names of Charles Cochrane-Bailie, 2nd Baron Lamingtom, who served as governor of Queensland (1896-1901) and his wife, Lady Lamington are mentioned in relation to the dessert.
Tradition has it that it was invented when unexpected guests arrived for afternoon tea and something had to be done to resurrect a stale sponge cake.
Anzac Biscuits have been popular from the 1920s. They were named after the ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) soldiers who fought at Gallipoli (Turkey) in 1915 during World War 1.
The biscuits with a long shelf-life were made by women looking for food that would remain edible for prolonged periods to send to their troops fighting overseas.
As it happens here, a new issue is not limited to just the set of stamps, the first day cover and a boring bulletin.
The Australian desserts stamp set comes in an attractive stamp pack, a prestige booklet with recipes for each of the dishes, and maxicards with enlarged pictures of the insets on the stamps. It’s a boon for philatelists and of course, good income to the state. |
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