Did Australia really plagiarise the pavlova recipe from New Zealand? Or does the beloved meringue-based dessert have its origins in royal Germanic kitchens?

Since the 1950s Australia and New Zealand have been locked in a culinary battle over the origins of pavlova. Both nations vehemently claim credit for its invention. Now though, it might be time for both to put down their whisks, and concede defeat. Research suggests that it is more about re-branding than invention. Plus, authors of a yet-to-be-released book hint that pavlova may not even be an Antipodean idea, but more on that later. Origins series: the stories behind our favourite dishes Australia vs New Zealand What both countries agree on is that pavlova consists of a baked meringue base or shell with a chewy interior, topped with whipped cream and garnished with fresh fruit. Typical fruits used are passion fruit, strawberries and kiwi. It graces tables as a dessert, a special occasion “cake”, and as a perfect afternoon accompaniment to a cup of tea. There is also agreement that it was named in honour of Russian prima ballerina, Anna Pavlova. With the dessert said to be as light and as beautiful as the dancer herself. Is tiramisu an aphrodisiac? The Italian dessert born in brothels Both also claim its origin An apparently definitive answer to the Antipodean debate came out with the publication, in 2008, of The Pavlova Story: A Slice of New Zealand's Culinary History, written by Helen Leach, an emeritus professor at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Leach, a specialist in culinary anthropology and holder of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) points to her entry in the 2015 edition of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, edited by Darra Goldstein: “When Anna Pavlova first toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926, she was treated like a superstar, with press reports emphasising the lightness of her dancing and the beauty of her costumes. In her honour three sweets were named Pavlova, reflecting these qualities. “The first was a multicoloured layered jelly published in the Davis Gelatine Company’s recipe book in Australia in 1926 and in New Zealand in 1927. The second were small crisp meringues flavoured with coffee and walnuts, devised by Rose Rutherford in Dunedin (NZ) around 1928. The third was the large meringue cake now commonly called the Pavlova, known in New Zealand since 1929.” Annabelle Utrecht agrees with the 1929 claim: “The first-known recipe for a modern pavlova cake appeared in one of New Zealand's rural journals in late 1929. New Zealanders claim this recipe is proof the pavlova is their invention.” Utrecht, an Australian, has a media and food retail background and is the co-author of a book expected to be published next year, currently titled, Beat Until Stiff: The Secret History of the Pavlova and a Social History of Meringue Desserts. She is writing the book with Andrew Paul Wood, a New Zealand academic, author, art historian and cultural critic. The 1929 recipe precedes the Australian claim by six years. “Australians believe that the pavlova cake was invented by Bert Sachse, a chef at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, Western Australia, in 1935,” says Utrecht. Why traditional Italian treat granita is even better than ice cream Independent re-branding There does not, however, appear to be any evidence of recipe plagiarism, nor is there a single foundation recipe. “There is no evidence that Sachse plagiarised the New Zealand recipe. He didn’t; he came up with his own recipe, he simply did what others were doing, naming it after a famous person. It is an independent renaming,” said Leach on a 2017 episode of The Feast podcast. Re-naming existing desserts was a trend at the time. “Central to the preoccupation of most people is the idea that pavlova was an Antipodean invention. The truth is, pavlovas are only Antipodean by way of renaming – a convenient rebranding, an appropriation, in the name of the dancer Anna Pavlova,” says Utrecht. “Both Australians and New Zealanders have been arguing about who owns the pavlova for a long time, and that is why Dr Wood and I undertook our research, to solve the mystery once and for all.” Who needs Viagra when you've got the sexiest sausage in the world? Pre-pavlova While the Antipodean pavlova only dates back to the late 1920s, it has an evolutionary history that dates back much farther. Leach writes that the so-called Pavlova Wars are, “… A rivalry underpinned by the creationist belief that recipes are invented. Instead, detailed chronological examination of recipes for meringue cakes and pavlovas demonstrate an evolutionary process.” Utrecht adds, “The cake we call a pavlova today was in existence for over a century before any proposed antipodean invention. Indeed, large meringue cakes topped with whipped cream and fruit were originally a product of royal or aristocratic Germanic kitchens,” explains Utrecht She uses the term “Germanic” because at the time Germany was not yet a nation and many of these early cakes can be found in Austria, Prussia and Bohemia. Of course these were not called pavlova. “Rather they existed under many different regional names, like the Spanish wind torte, or the schaum torte (foam cake),” says Utrecht. She emphasised that despite the Antipodean recipe dating back to 1929 , “his does not mean it was New Zealand's creation”. “In terms of the meringue-pavlova that everyone adores today, what I can say, is that we believe the dessert was named first in the northern hemisphere, not the southern,” she adds. For more details on how meringue cakes made their way down under, see the timeline below, courtesy of research by both Utrecht & Wood, and Leach. Where do French fries come from? No, not France ... Timeline Late 1700s Large meringue cakes topped with cream and fruit existed in aristocratic households across German-speaking lands, especially popular in Habsburg territories. Early 1800s These meringue cakes are included in cookbooks of noble Habsburg families. 1840s Recipes for large meringue cakes topped with whipped cream and fruit become popular across Europe. 1860s Recipes are also established in North America, particularly in areas home to widespread Germanic migration and settlement – for example the Midwest, where the “schaum torte” remains a much-loved dessert. Early 20th century Meringue cakes topped with cream and fruit are to be found in Australia and New Zealand. 1926 Anna Pavlova visited Australia and New Zealand for the first time. That same year, a recipe for “Pavlova” was published in Australia – but this was a complicated four-layer jelly, not a meringue cake. 1928 A recipe for “Pavlova Cakes” was published in New Zealand – but these were small, walnut-sized coffee and walnut meringues. 1929 Anna Pavlova returned to Australia. Later that year the first known recipe for a modern pavlova cake appears in print in New Zealand. 1950s Both Australia and New Zealand independently assert the pavlova is theirs. 1973 Bert Sachse claims to have invented the pavlova recipe in 1935. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .