Proof in the pudding

The pavlova is a New Zealand-invented dessert, and the proof is in the dictionary entry. An argument dating back generations between Australia and New Zealand over which of them invented the pavlova appears to have finally been settled — by the online Oxford English Dictionary. Relaunched a decade after it first appeared, the dictionary states that the first recorded pavlova recipe appeared in New Zealand in 1927 in Davis Dainty Dishes, a publication by the Davis Gelatine company. By contrast, the Australian claim centres on a recipe created by Bert Sachse, a chef at the Esplanade Hotel in the western city of Perth, as late as 1935. Dr Helen Leach, a culinary anthropologist at the University of Otago who has published her research in a book called The Pavlova Story, said: “I can find at least 21 pavlova recipes in New Zealand cookbooks by 194, which was the year the first Australian ones appeared.” The OED relaunched with 6, words — 1386 of which have a lingual link to New Zealand. There are also nearly 3 words included which originate from the Maori language. Pakeha is now recognised by the OED as an official word with the first recorded use in 1817.