Two smiling African women sharing a meal at a wooden table in a lively cityscape with graffiti art.
Migration patterns naturally influence food culture, and an influx of West African immigrants to Australia is driving a surge in demand for the foods of home. Catering to that demand is a new cadre of chefs, who are bringing traditional favorites, such as jollof and fufu to Australian shores, and are tweaking recipes to account for locally available ingredients. This is also supported by the latest census data – in five years, the number of people in Australia who were born in Nigeria increased by about 50%, from 8,493 people in 2016 to 12,883 in 2021. Although Australia’s West African community and restaurant scene is growing, chefs are still having to compromise with local produce.