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Cult dishes putting regions on the map

Regional culinary specialties in this country reflect our national fondness for seafood, sugar and stodgy carbs. Lorna Thornber rounds up the best of the South Island.

New Zealand’s best-known local foods mightn’t always qualify as fine dining, but they embrace many of our favourite flavours, from fresh seafood to stodgy, beige carbs.

Here are some of the South Island’s tasty treats that have garnered such a cult following they’ve helped to put their communities on the map.

Southland cheese roll

Affectionately referred to as ‘‘Southland sushi’’, these cylindrical snacks have been a staple among Southlanders for as long as they can remember.

Made with slices of white bread slathered in a cheesy spread and cooked until they’re crispy on the outside and sticky in the centre, they’re a bit like rolled-up cheese toasties. Their humble appearance belies an ongoing evolution, with gourmet versions appearing on menus up and down the country.

You can find some of the best at The Batch Cafe´ in Invercargill, which exhibit hints of thyme and rosemary. Vegans and the lactose intolerant needn’t miss out – Chayse and Jessinta Leith of Herbie Fully Vegan have begun selling Invercargill’s first fully vegan cheese roll.

West Coast whitebait fritter

Whitebait fritters are a prime example of Kiwis’ tendency to take something posh and pricey and make it unpretentious.

The highly coveted fish fry are mixed with flour and eggs and fried in cafes across the motu, but their spiritual home is arguably the West Coast, where the Westport Whitebait Festival started turning out the fritters en masse in 2015.

The best versions contain the freshest whitebait, so visit in season (September 1 to October 30). Monteith’s Brewery in Greymouth is a popular spot to try them, and Fat Pipi is famous for its seasonal whitebait pizzas.

Stewart Island t¯ıt¯ı/muttonbird

Tasting like a cross between anchovy and game, tı¯tı¯ is a longtime deep south delicacy – Ma¯ ori have hunted it for hundreds of years. Rakiura Ma¯ ori descendants have rights to gather tı¯tı¯ or sooty shearwater chicks from the Tı¯tı¯ Islands from midMarch to the end of May, and birds can be picked up from private harvesters by the bucket and in seafood outlets around the country.

Tı¯tı¯ often makes an appearance on the menu at the Church Hill restaurant in Oban, and Hiakai in Wellington has presented it in imaginative ways.

Kaiko¯ ura crayfish

Tucking into fresh crayfish from a ‘‘seafood caravan’’ by the seashore while seagulls screech is as Kaiko¯ ura an experience as going on a whale-watching tour. Located 20 minutes north of town, Nins Bin is an institution, having caught, cooked and sold fresh crays since 1977. But you’ll find plenty of other places in town to try them.

Motueka doughnut

Doughnuts may not be endemic to these parts, but they’ve become Motueka’s unofficial culinary mascot nonetheless. When husband and wife team Josiah and Rachel Smits started The Smoking Barrel, its speciality was barbecued meats, but the doughnuts became so popular they struggled to keep up with demand.

The flavours are always imaginative – think lemon meringue pie and pink gin. There’s also a ‘‘cheeseburger’’ doughnut stuffed with a beef pattie, pickles, mustard, barbecue sauce and gooey cheddar.

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2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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