In Bold Palates Professor Barbara Santich describes how, from earliest colonial days, Australian cooks have improvised and invented, transforming and 'Australianising' foods and recipes from other countries, along the way laying the foundations of a distinctive food culture.What makes the Australian barbecue characteristically Australian? Why are pumpkin scones an Australian icon? How did eating lamb become a patriotic gesture? Bold Palates is lovingly researched and extensively illustrated. Barbara Santich helps us to a deeper understanding of Australian identity by examining the way we eat. Not simply a gastronomic history, her book is also a history of Australia and Australians.'Australia's leading culinary historian . both a scholar and passionate practitioner of food writing.' - Professor Donna Lee Brien, Central Queensland University.