21Jul2005

You may recall that the origin of that snow white fluffy cake known as the “Pavlova” has been the subject of an argument that’s crossed back and forward across the Tasman for years. The Aussies have long claimed it as their own. They say that the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova visited Perth in 1928. Some seven years later to commemorate the visit of the white fluffy tutu wearing ballerina Burt Sachse, a chef at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle beat up the whites of a few eggs with some sugar, baked it lightly and called the resulting white sticky fluffy cake with the chewy, crunchy top and called it a “Pavlova”.

But no says Professor Helen Leitch of the University of Otago’s Anthropology Department. She’s uncovered a 1929 Pavlova recipe published in the Rangiora Mother’s Union Cookery Book. Submitted by a Mrs WH Stevens of East Belt, Rangiora. All this is true. Professor Leitch along with an Australian food historian Michael Symons has not only been researching the origin of the Pavlova but also that of the Lamington and ANZAC biscuit. After three long years of painstaking detailed research they both agree that Mrs WH Stevens of Rangiora recipe for the Pavlova beats Burt Sachse by a number of years. So the Pav’s a Kiwi concoction. But there is conclusive evidence to establish that Lamingtons are definitely of Australian origin. I believe they’re named after that great outback explorer Dr. Lamington (no relation to Dr Livingstone). When Dr Lamington was met by an equally distinguished explorer by the name of Stanley out the back of Alice Springs he offered him a piece of sponge coated in chocolate and coconut to which Stanley is reported to have responded. “This is a Lamington Dr I presume …” But I digress. You may, as I did, well ask what is an anthropologist doing spending three years of research to find out where Pavlovas come from? Wouldn’t the money be better spent on the history of hip-hop or courses or twilight golf lessons? Well that’s where you’re wrong. Anthropology is the study of human kind. Especially it’s societies and customs. What Professor Leitch was trying to establish was from whence came the custom to have Pavlovas at birthday parties and at what stage of their development did human kind begin putting pineapple pieces, peach slices or kiwifruit on a bed of whipped cream on the top of the Pavlova. The scientists think they’ve cracked the mystery.

Well as usual I’ve been doing a bit of my own independent research. I believe the Pavlova came into existence at least thirty years before Mrs Williams of Rangiora unscientifically stumbled upon her recipe. I’m suggesting that the Pavlova owes it origin to Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1870 – 1936). Fortunately for we cake lovers Ivan abandoned the youthful religious career that his father had mapped out for him. He literally went to the dogs. Drooling dogs. Pavlov found that you could train a dog to drool on command. His theory was that animals and indeed humans could be trained to react in a certain way to a particular stimulus. So every time Pavlov brought food to his dogs they would drool. He wondered if it was the food that was making the dogs drool. Or was it the white coats that his laboratory assistants wore when delivering the food. So he took away the food and along came the lab assistants wearing nothing other than white coats. The dogs started drooling. There, that’s it said Pavlov. It’s the colour white that the dogs are reacting to. His wife to test this theory beat up a few egg whites with some sugar and baked it lightly. She then gave it to the lab assistants in doggy bowls. The dogs immediately started drooling. Human beings do the same thing when they see Pavlovas. Well to celebrate they gave Ivan the Nobel Prize. And Mrs Pavlov? In Russian the feminine of Pavlov is Pavlova. So she took the cake.