The History of Pavlova

The birthplace of pavlova is a matter of heated debate between Australia and New Zealand, both of which claim credit for inventing the dessert. In fact, the origins of pavlova are quite murky. The dessert was almost certainly named after Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, likely in celebration of her 1926 tour of Australia and New Zealand. However, the dessert already existed by that point and was simply “rebranded” in her honor. Meringue, a major component of pavlova, was likely invented in 18th-century Switzerland and the first recorded recipe for the treat dates to the 1604 collection of Lady Elinor Fettiplace. By the 18th century, large meringue constructions with fruit and cream were widely popular in upper-class homes across German-speaking Europe. From there, the dessert spread to other parts of the Western world and was embraced by the middle class, leading to the creation of meringue-based desserts like baked Alaska and meringue gateau. It’s likely that pavlova evolved from these after European immigrants introduced meringue-based desserts to both New Zealand and Australia. One of the first written mentions of a dessert resembling the modern pavlova appears in the 1929 edition of New Zealand Dairy Exporter Annual. Over the course of the 20th century, Australia and New Zealand each laid claim to the dessert and disagreed on several key features, including the ideal texture and the type of fruit that should be used (Australians use passion fruit while New Zealanders use kiwi fruit). More recently, creative versions of the pavlova have popped up all over the world and Prue Leith, formerly a Michelin-starred chef who is perhaps most famous for her work as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, even created a vegan version of the dessert. While we may never know the exact origins of pavlova, the dessert remains very popular not only in Australia and New Zealand, but in many other parts of the world as well.