Christchurch Street Food

Christchurch Street Food is largely influenced by the cuisine of England, British English cuisine. Another large influence on cuisine is Australia. As a large portion of New Zealand is agricultural, a heavy emphasis on food in Christchurch is placed on sustainably sourced, fresh ingredients from local farms.

Food in Christchurch can be found along the streets in kiosks or small cafes, in mid-range restaurants and fine-dining establishments. Traditional Maori cuisine in Christchurch is still considered rather exotic, and is not commonly served. Common ingredients used in many Christchurch dishes include potatoes, beef, chicken, bread (white, brown, rye), lamb, olives, fish (whiptail, cod, gurnard, tarakihi, snapper), onions, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, grapes, sugar, milk and more.

Increasingly, there are several alternative food movements / lifestyle choices that are becoming more popular in New Zealand. These include vegetarian, nut free, lactose free, gluten free, and the latest raw food movement. Christchurch is one of the few cities in the world where such lifestyle choices can easily be supported and sustained. Oddly, there happen to be more ‘local’ and unique South Island dishes, as compared to the North Island, which has hadly any iconic dish. 

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Considered a New Zealand South Island seasonal speciality, the Asparagus Roll is a simple dish of buttered white bread and blanched fresh asparagus. Asparagus Roll is often served as a snack, or at high tea. It is usually home made, hardly ever sold in Christchurch shops.

Speights Beer is a New Zealand brewery located in the South Islands, and their flagship Beer is Speights Gold Medal Ale. An award winning pale ale with a light grainy aroma, smooth texture and slightly sweet taste, Beer Speights Gold Medal Ale is the traditional beer of students at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

A particular type of bread made in Christchurch is Sunflower Seed Bread, where sunflower seeds are mixed in with the bread dough. Sunflower Seed Bread is considered to be a healthier type of bread, with purported health benefits such as the ability to aid digestion and bowel movement.

Cheese Roll is a unique South Island dish, consisting of New Zealand cheese stuffed into buttered white bread, then toasted. Cheese Roll can be served as a snack, appetizer, during breakfast, or at high tea, and it can be sold by shops in Christchurch. Other ingredients are often added to the Cheese Roll including onions, pineapple, corn, worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, mustard or evaporated milk. The type of cheese used for making Cheese Roll could be Colby, Parmesan, Cheddar or Mainland Mild Blend.

New Zealand is known for their high quality chocolate bars. In Christchurch, the Hokey Pokey Chocolate, Coconut Slab Chocolate and Raisin Peanut Slab Chocolate are considered to be representative tastes of New Zealand.

A Fruit Skewer consists of seasonal fresh fruits arranged on a skewer. Typically, fruits used in a Fruit Skewer include grapes, orange, pineapple, watermelon, honeydew melon, apple, kiwi fruit and tomato.

Considered to be the representative fruit of New Zealand, the Kiwi Fruit or Kiwi, is named after the national bird, the Kiwi, for the similarity in appearance. There are 2 main varieties of Kiwi Fruit. The green coloured variety, also known as Fuzzy Kiwi Fruit, is more common, with the Hayward strain being the most popular. The golden coloured variety is sweeter in taste, with the Zespri Gold strain being the most popular.

Lemonade is a popular drink in Christchurch, and there are many different canned and bottled varieties.

Lolly Cake / Lollie Cake is a confectionery unique to New Zealand. Besides butter, sweetened condensed milk and dessicated coconut, Lolly Cake / Lollie Cake has 2 other ingredients unique to New Zealand. The first is Eskimo lollies, or Eskimo’s brand fruit marshmallow puffs, which are often coloured red, yellow and green. The second is Griffins brand malt biscuits. This unique combination means Lolly Cake / Lollie Cake is extremely difficult to find outside New Zealand, while it is very commonly sold in shops across New Zealand.

Mozzarella Sticks served in Christchurch are typically breaded and deep fried. Mozzarella Sticks are usually served as an appetizer, along with a dipping sauce of some kind.

A French term which literally means ‘small oven’, but is commonly used to refer to miniature confectioneries. Petit Four is usually an assortment of desserts or appetizers, and refers to the dish in general rather than any specific component of the dish. Thus, a Petit Four can include any combination of small sweet or savoury confectioneries, such as cakes, biscuits, tarts, pastries, meringues, skewers or cups.

Potato Wedges aren’t a common choice of staple in Christchurch, and are typically served as bar snacks rather than to accompany a main dish.

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