The Italian influence on Australian cooking is enormous, perhaps the most important of all - Italians and their language are second only to the English as an ethnic group. Italians brought with them their love of food as a lifestyle, which fitted beautifully with the Australian climate and way of life, and from the Fifties on pizzerias, espresso and gelati bars and the then exotic taste of garlic were conquering palates countrywide. One particularly Australian metamorphosis is focaccia, now a staple of every city café and beginning to make an appearance in country towns. A flat bread with a nubbly golden top, it's cut horizontally, filled and toasted to make delicious sandwiches.

The country can also thank the Italians for elevating coffee to a pastime rather than just a hot drink. Nowadays every suburban café has an espresso machine, and it's not just used to make cappuccino. Other styles of coffee have adopted uniquely Australian names: a flat white is a plain white coffee, cafe latte a milkier version usually served in a glass (like cappuccino without the froth), a long black is a regular cup of black coffee, short black is an espresso - transformed by a splash of milk into a macchiato.

Melbourne is Australia's food capital, with its legendary Greek population among the many European influences in the city. As well as taverna-style Greek restaurants, souvlaki bars abound, with spiced lamb rotating on a spit. Turkish and Lebanese takeaways use a similar ingredient for their spicy filled rolls, while some Turkish places also offer pides, small, simple but spicy variants on a pizza. Lebanese restaurants are especially good for vegetarians, with falafel rolls (pitta bread stuffed with chick-pea patties, hoummous and tabbouleh) making an inexpensive, filling meal.

Central European influences are most obvious in baking: particularly in Melbourne, Jews (mostly from pre-war Poland) contribute a strong Jewish flavour, and there are also a few Polish restaurants serving solid, peasant-style dishes. German influences are most prominent around Adelaide and at deli counters countrywide, where you'll find an abundance of Australian-made salamis and sausages.

Since the 1970s a new wave of immigrants, from southeast Asia, has further energized Australian cuisine. Vietnamese restaurants not only offer some of the cheapest meals anywhere but also combine fresh ingredients with sophisticated French influences from colonial days; with your meal comes a plate of red chillies, lemon wedges and crunchy beansprouts.

Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants or market stalls are also commonly seen, with hearty noodle soups and satays with hot peanut sauce. Hawker-style stalls in city food courts often serve laksa, a huge bowl of hot and spicy coconut-milk-based soup full of noodles, tofu and chicken or prawns.

Thai restaurants are probably the biggest success of them all, and it's hard to believe that they've been around for little more than ten years. Dishes can be fiery yet subtly-flavoured with lemongrass, garlic, chilli and coriander.

Japanese food in Australia is made more accessible - and less expensive - by the availability of so much fresh seafood. There may not be much of a Japanese population, but there are a huge number of Japanese visitors - and plenty of places catering for them (you'll find lots on the Gold Coast, for example).

Mongolian barbeques sound like a short-lived novelty but in fact are quite good: an unusual, fast and inexpensive complement to the already diverse Asian food culture. Thinly sliced meat or seafood is added to a selection of sliced vegetables and stir-fried in a soy-type sauce before your eyes on a giant wok - a Mongol warrior's shield is said to have been the original cooking utensil.