Lamingtons on a plate. Bidgee / wikimedia / 2019 / CC BY-SA 3.0
The 21st of July is Lamington Day.
It celebrates that staple food of Australian fundraisers, the squares of sponge cake covered in chocolate frosting and desiccated coconut known as “lamingtons“.
They are very popular in Australia, where they are often just called “lammos”.
In Australia, there is an Australian Lamington Appreciation Society (ALAS).
Chocolate is the classic, but now you can also enjoy flavours such as jaffa orange, lemon, raspberry and passion fruit. You can now also get savoury ones, with bacon, etc..
Do you like yours with a layer of strawberry jam in the centre, or whipped cream, or however delicious that might be, do you think that makes it something other than a lamington? And what about having the coconut dyed different jolly colours?
There are several tales about how lamingtons originated but sadly, all of them are almost certainly apocryphal.
#LamingtonDay
See also: Australian Food, Lamingtons
Activities for today
- Make or buy some lamingtons;
- it’s a good day to support your local independent bakery;
- have friends over for lamingtons and tea or coffee;
- try some new flavours;
- take part in a fundraiser selling lamingtons for a charity.
Sources
“Australians celebrate National Lamington Day”. www.radioaustralia.net.au. ABC Radio Australia. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016 from http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/australians-celebrate-national-lamington-day/983740
Black, Zona. Happy National Lamington Day! Launceston, TAS, Australia: The Examiner. 21 July 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.examiner.com.au/story/4044931/happy-national-lamington-day/
Go coco for lamingtons – it’s World Lamington Day/ Sydney, Australia: Special Broadcasting Service. 1 July 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/07/20/go-coco-lamingtons-its-world-lamington-day
Offord, Geordi. National Lamington day: Celebrating an Australian icon. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Weekly Times. 16 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/rural-weekly/national-lamington-day-celebrating-an-australian-icon/news-story/f5104079e9e59a400e2e4f275f5f5479
Perkins, Jess. Celebrate National Lamington Day on July 21, 2018. Sydney, NSW, Australia: The Land. 21 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.theland.com.au/story/5538822/jaffa-savoury-or-chocolate-happy-national-lamington-day/?cs=164