As an American living (and cooking) in Australia, I run into all kinds of random misunderstandings. Like the time my other half yelled across the house, “Do we have any coriander?” and I thought she meant the seeds like we would in the States, so I said yes. But she had been reading a recipe from an Australian cookbook and really needed the leaves, which Americans would call cilantro. They are not the same thing.

Measurements are also different here. I remember making cookies once using the Pyrex measuring cup I had brought with me from the States and a set of teaspoons we had bought here… they were a bit over-leavened. Whups!

So, with no further ado…

Different Places, Different Terms

Here are a list of some different food terms. I’ll be listing the Australian term first, since that’s how I tend to think these days. (I’m not a traitor, I’ve just been living here for six years and really started cooking in earnest during that time….) I’ll probably miss terms in this list, so as I think of more, I’ll update!

• Butternut Pumpkin - Butternut Squash (Note: Minor difference, I know.)
• Chickpeas - Garbanzo Beans
• Coriander - Cilantro (Note: In the US, “coriander” refers to the seeds and “cilantro” refers to the leaves.)
• Eschalots - Shallots (Note: Shallots are a different vegetable in Australia than in the US.)
• Shallots - Green Onion/Spring Onion/Scallions (Note: Shallots are a different vegetable in Australia than in the US.)
• Swedes - Rutabagas

How to Measure Stuff

There are many different variations to the size of measuring cups throughout the world. Wikipedia has a helpful guide. Now, for the most part, measuring cups and teaspoons/tablespoons are similar in proportion, which means that I can cook an American recipe with Australian measures and not have to worry too much about it. However, there is one annoying exception - the Australian tablespoon, which is proportionally a tablespoon and a third compared to the rest of the world. Awesome. It’s pretty easy to account for this (especially because things that are called for in tablespoons tend to have some wiggle room) but it’s important to keep in mind when translating to or from an Australian recipe! (Note: in any recipes I write myself, I’m usually estimating when it comes to measures, so use your own tablespoon as a guide and don’t worry about it too much. Maybe throw in a bit more for good measure. It’s probably a good idea anyway.)

We also use metric here, which means we use kilograms and liters instead of pounds and gallons. We also measure oven temperatures in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. It’s pretty easy to convert these - just plug “1L in gallons” into Google and see what comes out the other end. Also, a pound is roughly half a kilo (a bit less, actually, but meh) and a liter is pretty much exactly a quart.

Stuff You Can’t Get in Australia

Some things that I grew up cooking with just aren’t available here, like Crisco (terrible, I know, but it’s really the best thing for pie crusts) and Bisquik. Cornmeal (I mean the finely ground stuff, not polenta) can sometimes be found at gourmet groceries, but it ain’t cheap. Same with black beans (or black turtle beans, to avoid confusion with black adzuki beans) and pinto beans (which I couldn’t find for ages but are now starting to show up, yay).

Canned pumpkin is another thing you can’t get here, but that’s actually not a big problem - it’s *really* easy to make yourself. Here is the method I use.