> Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous@austin.rr.com> wrote:
> 	• Steak & Mushroom - Thyme
> 	• Traditional - nothing
> 	• Guinness Steak & Potato - mix of red pepper, parsley & thyme
> 	• Beef & Cheese - nothing
> 	• Texas BBQ - Cheddar cheese
> 	• Pepperoni - Parmesan cheese
> 	• Curry Chicken - Cumin
> 	• Southwest Chicken - Cayenne Pepper
> 	• Chicken & Mushroom - Parsley
> 	• Chicken Classic - Oregano
> 	• Thai Chicken - Poppy seeds
> 	• Spinach & Mushroom - Sesame seeds
> 	• Southwest Veggie - finely chopped basil
> 	• Curry Veggie - Curry Powder (yellow) "
> 
> So, are savory pies a common item in Australia? Are these anything like 
> the pies in Australia or is this mostly hype? 

The meat pie is an "Aussie icon" along with kangaroos and Hills Hoists.

However, "The" Aussie meat pie is meat. In theory it's beef but it's kind of a slurry and you probably don't want to investigate it at all closely. Tomato sauce on top for most people. (In Adelaide, it's served floating in pea soup, but Adelaide is like that.) Occasionally you'll get ones billed as "steak and onion" or "steak and mushroom" but as far as you can tell it's the same semi-indistinguishable slurry. They're for sale pretty much everywhere, and feature heavily at convenience stores, service stations, bakeries, school canteens and sports grounds.

The pies as Stefan describes above do not resemble "The" Aussie meat pie. However they would be quite familiar light meal items in a mid-range Australian cafe. (Texas BBQ, Pepperoni or Southwest anything not so much.) The practice of indicating the types with a stripe of cracked black pepper or curry powder, or cut-out pastry shapes on top is very common. 

Margaret/Emma
Melbourne, Australia/Krae Glas, Lochac