A Matter of Taste, Lauren Samuelsson. Photo: Supplied/Lauren Samuelsson.
Ask any kid who grew up in Australia since the 80s about their birthday parties and pretty soon they’ll all mention one thing: The Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book.
My family were big fans of the classic Dolly Varden cake (we had a designated legless barbie to perch atop the domed ‘skirt’) while others yearned to have a classic train cake or the swimming pool cake. The duck cake is so ubiquitous it even made it into an episode of Bluey!
But there’s been little academic research into the role of the Australian Women’s Weekly (AWW) cookbooks in Australian culture, until Wollongong author Lauren Samuelsson’s PhD and subsequent book A Matter of Taste.
Lauren started her career as a high school history teacher but decided to go back and continue her studies because, “I didn’t really like teenagers!” In choosing a topic to research, it was natural that she would turn to her stomach.
“I’ve always been really interested in what food and drink can tell us about who we are,” she told Region.
“I did some research on drinking for my masters and when I went to do my PhD I figured I’d already done drinking so it was time to think about eating. So when I think about Australian food, what do I think of? And my mind went immediately to the Women’s Weekly when I was a kid in the early 90s sitting and flipping through the birthday cake book.”
Dr Lauren Samuelsson has a PhD in history from the University of Wollongong for her research into Australian food history and the Australian Women’s Weekly. Photo: Supplied/Lauren Samuelsson.
While the birthday cake book has become synonymous with birthday parties, the AWW has a much longer history shaping the way Australians cooked and ate from the very first issue in 1933. The recipes and food stories were intended to be a guide for home cooks – in those days overwhelmingly women – while also introducing international cuisines and trends to ‘everyday’ Australians.
“It wasn’t a magazine for the gourmet or the ‘foodie’: it was for everyday people. They might be a bit interested in stepping outside their comfort zone so the Weekly was there to hold their hand through those changes,” Lauren said.
Examples include pictures of how to hold and use chopsticks, or how to cook Chinese recipes, even during a time when the White Australia Policy was current. A Matter of Taste is full of nostalgia, but also gives readers a glimpse into the history of the country as seen through food. Later editions of the magazine, and subsequent cookbooks, showcased more international dishes, and the focus shifted from economy of cost to economy of time as more women joined the workforce.
Lauren baked the swimming pool cake from the iconic birthday cakes book for her birthday this year. Photo: Supplied/Lauren Samuelsson.
When researching her book Lauren also interviewed people who used the Women’s Weekly cookbooks and magazines and she uses their memories to bring the research to life. She used Trove to read and collect data from all issues of the magazine in her period of research (from 1933 to the 1980s) and also interviewed former editors and food directors from AWW such as Pamela Clarke and Lindy Milan.
And, of course, she cooked many of the recipes. While a surprising number stood the test of time there were a few duds (she won’t be revisiting the savoury chicken jelly.) And the birthday cake book remains a favourite: this year Lauren made herself the swimming pool cake to celebrate!
Dr Lauren Samuelsson holds a PhD in history from the University of Wollongong, Australia, where she is an Honorary Fellow. A Matter of Taste by Lauren Samuelsson was published by Monash University Publishing, 2024.
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