What’s a 50th birthday without a throwback? To celebrate GT‘s half-century milestone, we dusted off the first-ever issue of what was then called The Australian Gourmet Magazine for a virtual reprint.
Published in February 1966, our first issue opens with The Gourmet’s Credo, a call to arms for “disciples of Epicurus,” those who seek the “art of good eating and a better understanding of man”.
Beyond our name, a few things have changed since 1966 – we’ve lost the focus on Greek philosophy, for starters. We also no longer address readers as “my darling girls”. Nor would we recommend prawns on ice, or prescribing glazed wing rib of beef as “the way to his heart”.
And while our recipes, typefaces and design choices may have matured over the past 50 years, the issue is bound by the same enthusiasm for Australian food culture we carry today.
Take a look through 50 of Gourmet Traveller’s covers from the last 50 years here.
You can trace an undercurrent of excitement through the issue, from Colin Gramp’s feature on the nation’s burgeoning wine regions to founding editor F Geiringer’s essay on Australia’s developing food culture. Geiringer describes how immigration broadened the nation’s palate; after reading our first issue, Australians could cook French onion soup, chilli con carne and beef vindaloo.
The issue isn’t just a throwback; it’s a testament to how Australia’s food and restaurant culture has grown. Plus, some of the recipes – such as the vermouth-marinated crayfish pan-fried with cheese and mushrooms gracing the cover – are quaintly amusing.
****Read a digital copy of our February-March 1966 issue here.
Gourmet Traveller’s 50th anniversary issue is out now.
