Pavlova (sometimes spelled pavlova in German) is a meringue cake filled with cream and fruit. It is considered one of the national dishes in both Australia and New Zealand; both countries claim the invention of the dessert. What is certain is that the cake was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who made guest appearances in both countries in the late 1920s. The Oxford English Dictionary cites New Zealand as the place of origin because the oldest known recipe of that name appeared there in 1927. Source: Wikipedia