Still fending off pretenders to the title of birthplace of Australia's national cake, Old Government House maintains it is the place of origin, and plans to celebrate this honour and the chocolate coconut confection on National Lamington Day, Friday 20 July.
Old Government House on QUT's Gardens Point campus will host the homage to the famous cube of cake for hungry visitors from 10am to 1pm on the second annual National Lamington Day.
The lamington was a make-do sort of concoction whipped up in 1901 in the kitchen of what was then just plain Government House, by resourceful Armand Galland, French chef to Queensland Governor Lord Lamington.
Who would have thought that pieces of cake hastily dipped in chocolate as glue for shredded coconut - a trick Monsieur Galland is said to have picked up in Tahiti - would, more than 100 years later, be found at every school fete, morning tea and supermarket in Australia?
"The secret of the lamington's success is in not only its eat-ability but also its keep-ability - great for Queensland's climate," Old Government House curator and historian Dr Katie McConnel said.
"Originally made from sturdy butter cake, it kept its shape and freshness longer in the days of no fridges.
Sacre bleu! Such is the devotion to it, the lamington has progressively upsized over the decades so we now eat the "lamosaurus" version, four times as big as its petite ancestor.
Join QUT on National Lamington Day for a free tour of Old Government House and afterwards enjoy tea/coffee and a lamington in the dining room.
When:
Friday 20 July
Tour Times: 10am; 10:30am; 11am; 11:30am; noon; 12:30pm.
RSVP
Please RSVP online or call 3138 8005
