“It’s a beautiful day. Let’s have a barbie.”
“They had a barbie at their wedding.”
“What food is good on a barbie?”
“My mate, Sandy, invited me over for a barbie.”
As you may have guessed, we’re not talking about plastic dolls. ‘Barbie’ is Aussie slang for barbecue. I think the word ‘barbie’ /ˈbɑː.bi/ is popular in Australia because it’s quicker to say than ‘barbecue’ /ˈbɑː.bɪ.kjuː/
Having a barbie is a popular outdoor leisure activity here in Australia. Aussies often have a barbie at the park to celebrate a public holiday or in their backyards when they have friends over. Some Aussies use their barbies as a way to cook their meals. Queenslanders, in particular, are known to have barbies all year round as the weather here is usually conducive to this outdoor activity (except when there are storms or cyclones, of course). It’s a good way to avoid cooking in a hot kitchen in the middle of summer.
When we look at the type of food Aussies usually cook on a barbie it can vary widely. Some people are happy with snags and onions while others prefer a T-bone steak, pork chops or hamburger patties. Of course, there are lots of vegetarian options as well. Halloumi burgers, various types of vegetarian skewers and a range of veggies (including eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and the classic corn cob) are all great on the barbie.
What food do you like to cook on a barbie? Is it a popular activity in your country?
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Glossary
leisure – the time when you are not working or doing other duties
public holiday – a day when almost everyone in a particular country does not have to go to work or school
Queenslanders – the people who live in Queensland which is a state in the northeast of Australia whose capital city is Brisbane
conducive – providing the right conditions for something good to happen or exist
cyclones – a violent tropical storm
snags and onions – sausages and thinly-sliced onions that are cooked until they are brown and caramelised (i.e. sweet)
patties – a piece of food made into a disc shape that is then cooked
halloumi [trademark] – a brand name for a fairly firm, white cheese from Cyprus, often served cooked
skewer – a long, thin metal or wooden pin with pieces of food on it
eggplant – an oval, purple vegetable that is white inside and is usually eaten cooked
zucchini – a long, thin vegetable with a dark green skin. It is a type of small marrow.
capsicum – a vegetable that is usually green, red or yellow, has a rounded shape, and is hollow with seeds in the middle (also known as a pepper)
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