Savoury toast is a

Tasmanian Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th ...

snack food made by covering a slice of bread with a prepared topping, commonly consisting of beaten egg, bacon pieces, diced onion, cheese, tomato sauce and

worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce (UK: ) is a fermented liquid condiment invented by pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century ...

, and then baking. Recipes date from at least the 1860s.

Preparation and ingredients

The dish commonly consists of bread topped with a combination of beaten egg, bacon pieces, diced onion, cheese, tomato sauce and

. The mix of ingredients is spread onto the bread slices before it is baked in a moderate oven. Savoury toast is often sold in local bakeries and is also commonly made at home. Despite its popularity in Tasmania, it is not a well known food item on the Australian mainland.

History

Recipes for savoury toast vary and can be found in early copies of Australian newspapers and

women's magazines This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of woman, women. Currently published *''10 Magazine (UK), 10 Magazine'' (UK – distributed worldwide) *''Al Jam ...

. The earliest dated recipe can be found from 1865 in the ''

Australasian Post The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victori ...

'' weekly periodical in the Ladies' Column and describes a similar recipe utilising fewer ingredients. The first known mention of savoury toast from a Tasmanian publication was in the ''Launceston Examiner'' on the 14 March 1885. Despite early recipes for savoury toast being found nationwide, it was only in Tasmania where the recipe remained popular and evolved to today's version of the recipe.

Similar dishes

Cheese roll A cheese roll (occasionally known by the older name of ''cheese roll-up'') is a New Zealand snack food similar to Welsh rarebit, but created by covering a slice of bread in a prepared filling consisting mainly of grated or sliced cheese, and the ...

Hot Brown A Hot Brown sandwich (sometimes known as a Louisville Hot Brown or Kentucky Hot Brown) is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Wels ...

Welsh rarebit Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit ( or ) is a dish of hot cheese sauce, often including ale, mustard, or Worcestershire sauce, served on toasted bread. The origins of the name are unknown, though the earliest recorded use is 1725 as "Welsh ra ...

References

{{Australian cuisine Australian breads Toast dishes Tasmanian cuisine Australian snack foods Australian sandwiches Open-faced sandwiches