Australian Meat Pie

Australia — meat pies arrived with British settlers; the Australian version evolved in bakeries from the 1800s; the bakery pie became a national institution by the 20th century; 'four and twenty' brand (named for the nursery rhyme) is the most famous commercial producer

The Australian meat pie — a shortcrust pastry base with a puff pastry lid, filled with a thick, slow-cooked minced or chunky beef filling in a rich, dark gravy — is the country's most consumed bakery item and a sporting ground staple. The standard pie (mince in gravy) is basic and brilliant; 'the Tiger' (with cheese) and 'the Chunky' (beef chunks not mince) are canon variations. The crust must be specifically textured: shortcrust bottom (to hold the wet filling without becoming soggy) and puff pastry top (to provide the flaky, golden dome). The filling must be thick enough to hold shape when the lid is cut — watery filling produces the 'blowout', where hot gravy burns the eater's chin. Eaten with a squeeze of tomato sauce (ketchup) on top.

• Directly descended from British pork pie and Cornish pasty traditions; parallels New Zealand meat pie (nearly identical); the pie-at-the-footy format echoes the hot dog at an American baseball game; the meat-in-pastry concept spans British culture globally

Eaten at the footy (AFL), at bakeries for lunch, and at country shows; with tomato sauce squeezed directly on top — never on the side; washed down with a VB or Carlton Draught lager or a flat white from the coffee cart