Pavlova

The dessert was named for the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured both countries in the 1920s, and the argument over which country invented it has run ever since. The research that has been done - notably by Helen Leach, who assembled hundreds of historical recipes - found the earliest recipes under that name in New Zealand in the 1920s, though the wider family of meringue cakes is European and older, and Australian food writers have contested the reading. Either way, what is served here is specific: a meringue baked so the crust is crisp and the centre stays soft and marshmallowy, topped with whipped cream and fruit - kiwifruit and passionfruit in the classic version, strawberries and other berries in season. It appears at Christmas, which falls in midsummer here, and at essentially every family celebration. Supermarket bases exist and are widely considered inferior.

What you actually see

• The texture - crisp shell, soft marshmallow centre, which is the whole point.
• The toppings - cream with kiwifruit, passionfruit or summer berries.
• The occasion - Christmas in midsummer, and family gatherings generally.
• The argument - a century of dispute with Australia over its origin.

When to go

December to February is the season, when the fruit is right and it appears at every gathering. Available year-round in bakeries and supermarkets.

Honest expectations

Bought bases are dry and much worse than a homemade one - the texture is the dish. It is very sweet. The Australian claim is genuinely contested, not settled.

Nearby

Sold everywhere; farmers markets and bakeries in any town.