By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
While many Aussies will insist it was born under a Bondi sunrise (only to be challenged by cool Californians keen to claim it as a Venice Beach brunch classic), the truth is that when it comes to crediting who actually invented avocado toast, the short answer: probably no one.
Or, perhaps more accurately, everyone.
Travel back to a pre-social media generation and you’ll find the true roots - literally - in Mexico, where avocados have been part of the local diet for more than 10,000 years. Guacamole, that zesty precursor to our current toast-topping obsession, was a Mayan staple for many millennia.
Then, add to that the arrival of Spanish bread in the 1500s, and avocado and bread were bound to meet. Probably toasted. Probably delicious.
Fast forward to colonial Australia in the late 19th Century and Governors were also reportedly enjoying ‘alligator pear’ (as avocados were then called) on bread for breakfast. While it’s unclear whether the bread was toasted, the pairing had already taken hold - simple, nourishing and somehow inherently luxurious, it was a kind of early-settler-era avocado toast - without the need for fancy dukkah.
However, no conversation about the history of avo toast is complete without mention of the late, great Bill Granger - the Sydneysider often credited with popularising the Instagram-worthy breakfast staple we know today.
In 1993, at just 22, he opened Bills in Darlinghurst with limited hours and no formal training, leaning into home-style, health-conscious cooking to suit Sydney’s sun-drenched, beach-toned clientele.
One of the stars of his early offerings was quartered avocado on sourdough, drizzled with lime and olive oil. No fanfare. Just good produce, done right. It was - and remains - the embodiment of what Modern Australian food does best: global ingredients, local vibes and minimal fuss.
Cafes across the country quickly followed suit and got creative, making something simple feel special. Think: thick-cut sourdough, perfectly ripe smashed avo, a sprinkle of feta, chilli flakes, pepitas and maybe a poached egg with perfect yolk porn.
Cafes like Melbourne’s Top Paddock and Sydney’s The Grounds of Alexandria gave us the gram-approved version that served as a status symbol and had the world swooning. By the 2010s, Aussie-style cafes began popping up in New York, London and Tokyo - bringing not just flat whites but also this now-iconic eat with them.
Suddenly, avocado toast wasn’t just food. It was a vibe - clean, fresh, indulgent and yes, a little millennial (#avocadogate).
Not one to be relegated to the sourdough-smeared sidelines, California’s avocado claims are not without merit. The fruit arrived there in 1856 and early 20th-Century cookbooks reference the spreadable green stuff.
However, it wasn’t until LA Chef Jessica Koslow brought her Melbourne-inspired menu back to the US in 2011 that the full avocado toast transformation took place - garnished, gussied up and guzzled down by wellness warriors and foodies alike.
These days, however, avocado toast has gone global. Topped with kimchi in Seoul; served with za’atar in Beirut; or, layered with Vegemite for the ultimate Aussie power move.
So no, perhaps Australia didn’t ‘invent’ avo toast in the strictest sense. However, we certainly elevated it. We gave it the brunch-time spotlight, the cheeky name, the sunny aesthetic.
We took an ancient combination and served it with style, substance and a side of flat white. In a world where food is increasingly global, collaborative and reinterpreted, we served it in signature Down Under style - what could be more Modern Australian than that?
