By Ben Groundwater

Copyright brisbanetimes

Granger was the first to put the “smash” into the avo, at Bills all the way back in 1993. His style and his ideas spread around the world, most notably to the UK and the US, where brunch culture kicked off in earnest, and avocado, mashed up with a little lime juice and spread on thick sourdough toast, maybe topped with sea salt and olive oil, or dukka or a poached egg, was on every menu. And still is.

I get a silly pang of national pride every time I see smashed avo pop up at a cafe or restaurant in some far-flung corner of the globe. People don’t even know it’s Australian, and that’s OK. We have a contribution to the world of food. We’ve done a thing.

It takes a great chef, after all, to influence the world. Everyone is cooking with fire now because of Victor Arguinzoniz from Asador Etxebarri. Top chefs are using molecular science and extra-sensory trickery because of Heston Blumenthal. And everyone is smashing avo into toast (still) because of Bill Granger.

I’ve seen smashed avo served in Thailand, in Argentina, in South Africa, in Ireland, in Italy and in Spain. Places where the dish makes no sense, where there’s already a great, established local food culture.