the great australian pie

There is nothing more Australian than a meat pie.

What is it?

Its a pie that people eat, generally made of beef mince in a gravy sauce in pastry usually topped with lashings tomato sauce.

In Sydney they serve it up with peas on top. Harrys Cafe de Wheels located at Cowpers Wharf, Woolloomooloo is the "quinessential Sydney Icon",(Source: Harrys Cafe de Wheels website.)

In Adelaide they have the floater, a tradtional pie, floating in pea soup. Why else would you call it a floater?

In Melbourne its the traditional pie and sauce at half time at the football.

In Perth, they have a special pie shop with all sorts of pies that add a bit of life to the good old australian meat pie called Jesters. They are the next step towards pies with all types of fillings, from Thai Chicken to Beef and Burgundy.

Then, in recent years, there has been a number of cafes in Melbourne especially, that make great gourmet pies. These are pies with a little extra style, home made chutney type sauces and top quality ingredients that are a slightly different texture to the ol' Four and Twenty consumed by many at half time at the MCG and other Australian football games around the country.

Harrys Cafe de Wheels, Sydney's quinessential pie cart is a must visit. Situated on Cowpers Wharf roadway, Woolloomooloo. Its just done the hill from the Sydney Art Gallery and Domain. It is visited by movie stars and heads of industries, locals and international tourists and has been a part of the landscape, originally opening in 1938, to be reopened when the owner, Harry Edwards returned from WW2 service in 1945.

Harrys Cafe de Wheels is the place to get a great pie anytime of the day or night. Popular with the late night party crowd, locals and tourists alike.

The pies are traditionally served with a mountain of mashed potato and mashed green peas. They are really good fun easy to eat and part of a Sydney tradition that must be partaken if visiting this fine city.

The Adelaide pie cart has been a tradition in Adelaide, South Australia, since the 1860's. The Adelaide Pie Cart serves what is called the pie floater. An australian meat pie floating, upside down, in pea soup with a great dob of tomato sauce atop.

As reported by the Adelaide Advertiser, the Adelaide Pie Cart has just reopened after being refurbished to comply with council regulations.

When you say the word Pie in Melbourne, most people think of Saturday afternoon and the traditional Four and Twenty Pies that are served at the football. Some people may think when you talk about Pies, you are talking about a football team, but thats refering to the Collingwood Football Club that is often refered to as the pies. The traditional meat pie is eaten in all weather, is the traditional feed to be eaten easily standing or sitting on a winters afternoon especaily on a winters afternoon in Melbourne when watching the AFL.

The Red Hill Bakery when on a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula makes really good pies. C Chorilos in Fitzroy St, St Kilda makes an organic meat pie and the Martin St Cafe in Gardenvale makes a gourmet steak pie with the steak so soft and a gourmet chutney sauce.