The Chiko Roll - A unique Australian snack and Cultural Icon

[JohnS]

You may not be aware of it, but the Chiko Roll is a popular Australian snack and cultural icon. Based on the Chinese spring roll, annual sales peaked at 40 million units in the 1960s and 70s. As of 2011, there were still 17 million units sold annually in Australia. How did it all come about? Read on...

There is nothing more Australian than this misnamed snack

Ben Groundwater

January 22, 2024 — 5.00 am

The dish

Chiko Roll, Australia

Plate up

Allow me to present to you, my thesis. In this essay I will argue that the Chiko Roll is the ultimate Australian foodstuff. I will prove that there is nothing more Australian. To begin with, as we will learn below, the Chiko Roll isn’t just a snack that turned out to be convenient to eat at the footy: it was designed specifically for the footy. This dish and our national sport go hand in hand.

Next point: the Chiko Roll leans heavily on the migrant cuisines of Australia, in particular the Chinese spring roll. This bastardised delicacy has a filling of cabbage and barley, plus carrot, green beans, beef, celery and onion, stuffed inside wheat-flour pastry, deep-fried to golden, bubbly perfection. To complete its inherent Australianness, the Chiko Roll is unquestionably egalitarian, the food of the people, cheap, filling and (fairly) tasty.

First serve

Frank McEncroe was a man with a vision. Back in 1950, the Bendigo boilermaker was standing outside Richmond Football Ground, watching punters buy Chinese spring rolls, and he had an idea. Make them larger, make them heftier, a meal in your hand, the sort of thing you could devour while simultaneously holding a beer and watching footy.

He pioneered his “Chicken Roll” at the Wagga Wagga Show in 1951, before moving to Melbourne and beginning its commercial production. Some would say the true genius of his invention was its packaging: a small rectangular bag perfect for carrying and eating on the go. By the 1970s, Australians were devouring more than 40 million Chiko Rolls a year.

Order there

To eat a Chiko Roll in its true home you should be watching a footy game in Melbourne. Though the likes of the MCG and Marvel Stadium are these days too fancy for this humble snack, you can still find it at Melbourne’s suburban grounds.

Order here

Australians don’t have to go far to sample a Chiko Roll. Try your local servo (i.e. Service Station - served lukewarm), or supermarket (sold frozen).

One more thing

You might be wondering about the name change. McEncroe’s snack was originally called the “Chicken Roll”, though given it didn’t contain any chicken, he quickly saw fit to rename it.

Source: https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/there-is-nothing-more-australian-than-this-snack-20240118-p5ey72.html

[99call]

I had the misfortune of "experiencing" one of these in my first trip to Aussie back in 1999.  One bite was enough......and not in a good way.

[El Presidente]

.............my favourite fast food of all time 

[99call]

17 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

.............my favourite fast food of all time 

Explain to me what I'm missing? From what I recall it was a spring roll filled with really bland incredibly over cooked slimy cabbage, that sort of resembled wall paper paste. Is it possible I just got a bad one? Normally as standard I'm a fan of greasy hangover fare, but these left me cold.

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, 99call said:

Normally as standard I'm a fan of greasy hangover fare, but these left me cold.

Nailed it.

4 o'clock in the morning at Tetanus Teds Diner on Caxton Street, the hot box would always have a kabana and Chiko Roll. 

Chiko Roll. Hot, salty, oily, sweet and sour, carrot, doughy, touch crunchy, cabbage, gooey goodness. 

Frank McEncroe is a legend. He should have his palm prints in concrete on every grimy street corner within 5 kilometers of any CBD in this country. Truck drivers should stop for prayer each midday and give worship. 

[99call]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Nailed it.

4 o'clock in the morning at Tetanus Teds Diner on Caxton Street, the hot box would always have a kabana and Chiko Roll. 

Chiko Roll. Hot, salty, oily, sweet and sour, carrot, doughy, touch crunchy, cabbage, gooey goodness. 

Frank McEncroe is a legend. He should have his palm prints in concrete on every grimy street corner within 5 kilometers of any CBD in this country. Truck drivers should stop for prayer each midday and give worship.

You've inspired me. I'm going to start stuffing samosas with out of date sauerkraut, and make my fortune.

[Ken Gargett]

14 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Nailed it.

4 o'clock in the morning at Tetanus Teds Diner on Caxton Street, the hot box would always have a kabana and Chiko Roll. 

Chiko Roll. Hot, salty, oily, sweet and sour, carrot, doughy, touch crunchy, cabbage, gooey goodness. 

Frank McEncroe is a legend. He should have his palm prints in concrete on every grimy street corner within 5 kilometers of any CBD in this country. Truck drivers should stop for prayer each midday and give worship. 

you have tarmac for taste. the chiko roll is basically a bag of grease. you would give up a Caxton kebab for one of those? 

[riderpride]

15 hours ago, El Presidente said:

.............my favourite fast food of all time 

'Fast food' in terms of readiness upon order, or on the speed of exit? 

 

Cheers

[Fuzz]

Let's face facts, the success of the Chiko Roll was not down to the the taste, ease of holding when eating, or the low cost.

The success was down to the Chiko Roll Girl!

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

you have tarmac for taste. the chiko roll is basically a bag of grease. you would give up a Caxton kebab for one of those? 

Late night kebab hits the spot.

When I'm up in Brizzy, one of my late night go to places is The Kebab Shop West End, open till 4am on Fri and Sat night. During Rob and Di's wedding, Clive, Stu and I ended up there a few times.

 

[Duxnutz]

9 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Late night kebab hits the spot.

When I'm up in Brizzy, one of my late night go to places is The Kebab Shop West End, open till 4am on Fri and Sat night. During Rob and Di's wedding, Clive, Stu and I ended up there a few times.

Where would u say the best kebab in SYD would be? I’ve had Pyrmont kebabs more than a few times.

[Fuzz]

9 hours ago, Duxnutz said:

Where would u say the best kebab in SYD would be? I’ve had Pyrmont kebabs more than a few times.

Are you after just the kebab roll, or are you wanting a HSP? Is this a late night drunk kebab, or a daytime kebab? (Yes, there is a difference.)

[Çnote]

9 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Is this a late night drunk kebab, or a daytime kebab? (Yes, there is a difference.)

Brilliant. 👏 

[99call]

9 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Is this a late night drunk kebab, or a daytime kebab? (Yes, there is a difference.)

Completely agree Fuzz

1= Daytime Kebab

2 = Drunk Kebab

3 = Absolutely Shitfaced Kebab

 

 

[MoeFOH]

The Chiko Roll is the cockroach of fast food. Probably in more ways than one... But I fully believe they'd survive a nuclear holocaust or two. I loved eating them in my youth, when you could potentially get away with doing so 

On 1/22/2024 at 8:06 PM, 99call said:

Is it possible I just got a bad one?

... You actually never stop asking this. And the answer is always simultaneously yes & no. 

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MoeFOH said:

The Chiko Roll is the cockroach of fast food. Probably in more ways than one... But I fully believe they'd survive a nuclear holocaust or two. I loved eating them in my youth, when you could potentially get away with doing so 

... You actually never stop asking this. And the answer is always simultaneously yes & no. 

The longer it sits in the bain marie, the longer you will sit on the toilet. 🤣