Australia, I Love You, But Italians Want To Know WTF Is Going On With Your Parmigianas?!

It's nothing like the Italian version.

Hello there! I'm Anna, I'm Italian, and I've been a self-proclaimed parmigiana connoisseur since birth.

BuzzFeed

Yep, that's two-year-old me devouring a parmigiana.

Back in Italy, my nonna makes the absolute best parmigiana. It's a must for Sunday lunch, so I would say I know a thing or two about them.

BuzzFeed

That's my grandma Anna, Mother of Parmigianas, preparing another ginormous portion of the dish.

Or, well, I thought I did, until I came to Australia and realised... Aussie parmigianas are a THING.

MTV / Via giphy.com

Except, they're nothing like Italian parmigianas.

BuzzFeed

Chicken...?

You see, Italian parmigianas are made with fried sliced eggplant, mozzarella, and tomato sauce.

Instagram: pics_by_eee / Via instagram.com

I'm drooling already.

In Australia, a parmigiana (or parmie) is a piece of crumbed and fried chicken breast, topped with a tomato sauce and cheese.

BuzzFeed

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

In order to become a full parmigiana expert, I decided to try some Australian ones, too.

BuzzFeed

I was all kinds of suspicious.

For my first, I went for an all-classic, sauce and cheese parmie.

BuzzFeed

The stakes were high.

And... it wasn't my favourite.

BuzzFeed

The chicken wasn't very well-seasoned, and the crumbing wasn't very crispy. The toppings didn't really stick to the actual chicken. So... not really my thing.

I wasn't too impressed after my first parmie, but I knew I had to give it another chance. So, off I went to the next pub.

BuzzFeed

This parmie even told jokes.

Surprise surprise, this baby came with ham!

BuzzFeed

This parmie was stepping up the game.

And... It wasn't too bad!

BuzzFeed

The sauce wasn't overly seasoned, and I think they used actual mozzarella as a topping?! This parmie was a keeper. I actually finished it.

As I ordered my third parmigiana of the week, I started to feel like I was actually betraying my home country...

BuzzFeed

This one even had a garlic sauce on the top. Do not order it on a date.

But IT TASTED SO GOOD.

BuzzFeed

This parmie had taken it upon herself to prove my first impressions were wrong.

If there's anything I learned from this experience, it's that weird, Italian-inspired food combinations can actually be tasty.

NBC / Via giphy.com

Who knows, maybe I'll even try Hawaiian pizza one day.

Just... don't call them "traditional Italian dishes".

Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

Travel was provided by Tourism Australia. BuzzFeed writers do not guarantee coverage.