Afghan Biscuits

Canterbury. Canterbury is the flat plains of New Zealand's South Island, tied to pavlova, the crisp-shelled meringue dessert whose ownership is still disputed with Australia; two of the earliest recipes to carry the name are Canterbury ones, from a Rangiora cookery book of 1933 and a 1934 cooking demonstration in Christchurch, though food historians trace the meringue-and-cream cake itself back to European and American kitchens long before either country claimed it. Lamb, salmon, and stone fruit come off the surrounding farms and rivers.

New Zealand. Kumara came with Polynesian settlers centuries before Europeans and is a genuinely pre-European staple, grown in specially built warm soil beds and stored in pits. The hangi that cooks it works on the same principle as ovens across the Pacific, hot stones in a pit, wet cloth and earth over the top, and several hours of steaming.

Oceania. Oceania spans Australia, New Zealand, and thousands of Pacific islands, where the ocean and the coconut palm define the pantry. Traditional Polynesian and Melanesian cooking centers on root crops, taro, yam, cassava, and sweet potato, slow-cooked in earth ovens (the umu or mumu) alongside fresh reef fish and rich coconut cream. Modern Australian and Māori kitchens blend these deep roots with waves of Asian and European influence.