Deep-Fried Icon · Show Bag Staple

Chiko Roll

Photo: IanBailey at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Despite the name, the Chiko Roll has never contained chicken; the name was borrowed from the 'chicken roll', but the filling was built around beef, cabbage and barley.

A large, deep-fried tube of pastry packed with a dense filling of cabbage, beef, barley, and spices, the Chiko Roll is built to survive being eaten one-handed in a crowd. It's sold hot from fish-and-chip shops, milk bars, and showground stalls, wrapped in a paper sleeve.

Why it's made this way: It was created in 1951 by Frank McEncroe, a Bendigo boilermaker turned caterer, who adapted the Chinese chop suey roll into a sturdy snack that football and agricultural-show crowds could eat standing up; it debuted at the Wagga Wagga show.