A dessert fit for a ballerina

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Recently I wrote about the dessert, peach melba, named about Australian’s famed operatic soprano, Dame Nellie Melba. In a similar way, the pavlova was created for the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. I thought it was an Australian invention but it seems it might have originated in New Zealand. Anna Pavlova visited both countries in the 1920s. It is a meringue base which is usually topped with any combination of fruit/s and cream. The Oxford English Dictionary says the first recorded recipe appeared in New Zealand in 1927 but was a jellied dish. The meringue version appeared in publications in 1928/29. The first Australian recipes appear in 1940 and are said to be based on a recipe by Bert Sachse, a chef from Perth, Western Australia. It doesn’t matter too much – at least to me. I like the fact that it is named after the ballerina and tastes great. It is a typical dessert served on celebratory occasions. Photo is from Wikipedia, courtesy: Yabby