The new prime minister of New Zealand, John Keys, has spoken eloquently and bravely about his country’s long struggle in the face of adversity; Australia have been putting the word about that they invented the Pavlova, New Zealand’s favourite dessert.
The origins of the Pavlova make for a fascinating study; the official line, as far as the Australians are concerned, is that it the pavlova was created in 1935 by Bert Sachse at The Esplanade Hotel in Perth, in honour of everyones favourite Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. However, it seems that they’ve been rumbled as pavlova recipes have been found as early as 1929 in magazines published in New Zealand.
President Keys remarked, presumably whilst wearing an All-Blacks rugby shirt and eating pavlova, ‘Everyone knows that they’re ours and for Australia to claim ownership of them is quite inappropriate’. As a spot of political retribution, ie. to wind up Australia, he went on to point out that Russell Crowe is actually from New Zealand.
Russell Crowe for pavlova; I’m not sure if it’s a fair trade…