With nostalgia clouding my memory, I can’t be entirely sure if my grandmother was the great cook I remember her to be but I am still certain she made a bloody delicious pavlova. It's a dish I am hardwired to love, one that provokes a sense of nostalgia not only for my family and for summer holidays but for Australia itself. And I know I am not alone: When it comes to the relatively sparse culinary canon of my home country, there is really only one dish that hits this universal note. It is no exaggeration to say that every family, regardless of background, has its pavlova tradition and that the ‘Pav’ is as Australian as the apple pie is American. It's more than a national dish—it's a national emblem.

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