Native Australian Foods
Use of Foods Native to Australia
Some bush foods grow wild in the backyards of city homes, often unrecognised by their inhabitants. Other bush foods hide in remote parts of the desert and are very difficult to find. Australian indigenous foods are commonly known as 'bush tucker'. Bush tucker comprises a wide variety of herbs, spices, mushrooms, fruits, flowers, vegetables, animals, birds, reptiles, and insects that are native to Australia.
Indigenous Australians have been eating bush tucker for at least 50 000 years. In colonial times the European settlers who learned about local foods from Aboriginal people survived much better than those who did not. To many non Aboriginal people, bush plants are still a mystery; the grubs look unappetising and Aboriginal cooking methods are not properly understood. However, many non Indigenous Australians are developing an interest in food unique to their environment. There is also a growing interest from world class chefs seeking 'new' tastes and food combinations.
In some restaurants there is a chance that you will find examples of bush tucker on the menu. For example wild Australian fruits make excellent jams, sauces and desserts. Nuts are used in pies, breads and sweets. New flavours from the bush are making their way into ice-creams, beverages and spices.
Indigenous Australians have been eating bush tucker for at least 50 000 years. In colonial times the European settlers who learned about local foods from Aboriginal people survived much better than those who did not. To many non Aboriginal people, bush plants are still a mystery; the grubs look unappetising and Aboriginal cooking methods are not properly understood. However, many non Indigenous Australians are developing an interest in food unique to their environment. There is also a growing interest from world class chefs seeking 'new' tastes and food combinations.
In some restaurants there is a chance that you will find examples of bush tucker on the menu. For example wild Australian fruits make excellent jams, sauces and desserts. Nuts are used in pies, breads and sweets. New flavours from the bush are making their way into ice-creams, beverages and spices.
Traditional use of bush foods
Before 1770, there were mare than 300 000 Aboriginal people living in 500-600 tribal groups each consisting of between 100 and 1000 people. Each tribe had its own territory and language.
Before European settlement in 1788, Australian Aboriginal people lived successfully off the land. They travelled great distances in search of available food supply. When food supplies became limited, an Aboriginal family would more to a new area where the supply was more plentiful. These areas were more commonly on the coast, near rivers or where there was high rainfall, as animal and plant food sources were more accessible.
Australian Aboriginals were very successful at providing for their needs through hunting and gathering activities. The men were the hunters and went out each day to hunt, but often returned with very little. What they did bring back-larger animals or fish-was then shared among their tribe. It was the women and children who supplied the more substantial part of the food requirements. They gathered and prepared plant foods, caught small animals and collected delicacies such as witchetty grubs, ants, bogang moths, and emu eggs. However, the men’s catch was always valued more highly than the food the women gathered because it was much more difficult to come by. Aboriginal people killed only enough food for their immediate needs.
The diet of Aboriginal people was rich and nutritionally balanced. Most diets were high in protein, which supplied up to half of their energy needs. This was due to the consumption of fish and shellfish by those tribes living along the tropical coat or near rivers, and goanna and kangaroo for those living in or near open scrub, mountains or desert. Diets were also high in fibre and vitamins, which was due to the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available. There was a small amount of sugar from fruit, nectar and honey gathered from wild bees or extracted from honey ants. The intake of fat was low, as it largely came from game or fish.
Before European settlement in 1788, Australian Aboriginal people lived successfully off the land. They travelled great distances in search of available food supply. When food supplies became limited, an Aboriginal family would more to a new area where the supply was more plentiful. These areas were more commonly on the coast, near rivers or where there was high rainfall, as animal and plant food sources were more accessible.
Australian Aboriginals were very successful at providing for their needs through hunting and gathering activities. The men were the hunters and went out each day to hunt, but often returned with very little. What they did bring back-larger animals or fish-was then shared among their tribe. It was the women and children who supplied the more substantial part of the food requirements. They gathered and prepared plant foods, caught small animals and collected delicacies such as witchetty grubs, ants, bogang moths, and emu eggs. However, the men’s catch was always valued more highly than the food the women gathered because it was much more difficult to come by. Aboriginal people killed only enough food for their immediate needs.
The diet of Aboriginal people was rich and nutritionally balanced. Most diets were high in protein, which supplied up to half of their energy needs. This was due to the consumption of fish and shellfish by those tribes living along the tropical coat or near rivers, and goanna and kangaroo for those living in or near open scrub, mountains or desert. Diets were also high in fibre and vitamins, which was due to the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available. There was a small amount of sugar from fruit, nectar and honey gathered from wild bees or extracted from honey ants. The intake of fat was low, as it largely came from game or fish.
The Influence of Geography
The geographical location of the tribe and the particular season of the year primarily governed the choice of diet and the way in which food was prepared and cooked.
Animal foods were generally cooked, either over an open fire or steamed in pits. Kangaroo, for example, was laid on a fire and seared for a short period, so that the interior flesh remained practically raw; at other times the kangaroo was placed in a large hole, surrounded by hot coals and sealed from the air.
Sometimes food was wrapped in paperbark or leaf matter to protect the flesh from the open flame. Flying fox, for example was wrapped in leaf of the Alexandra palm for cooking. When it was cooked, the leaves were unwrapped, pulling of the fur and the skin at the same time.
Plant food required more careful preparation since many of them were difficult to digest and even poisonous. Aboriginal women spent many hours washing, grinding, pounding, straining, grating, boiling and cooking plant foods. The water used in these preparations and cooking methods was boiled in bark troughs or in large seas shells.
Living off the land worked well for the Aboriginal people because their population and their needs were relatively small and they moved around seasonally in search of food supplies. This prevents the overuse of any specific food source.
Animal foods were generally cooked, either over an open fire or steamed in pits. Kangaroo, for example, was laid on a fire and seared for a short period, so that the interior flesh remained practically raw; at other times the kangaroo was placed in a large hole, surrounded by hot coals and sealed from the air.
Sometimes food was wrapped in paperbark or leaf matter to protect the flesh from the open flame. Flying fox, for example was wrapped in leaf of the Alexandra palm for cooking. When it was cooked, the leaves were unwrapped, pulling of the fur and the skin at the same time.
Plant food required more careful preparation since many of them were difficult to digest and even poisonous. Aboriginal women spent many hours washing, grinding, pounding, straining, grating, boiling and cooking plant foods. The water used in these preparations and cooking methods was boiled in bark troughs or in large seas shells.
Living off the land worked well for the Aboriginal people because their population and their needs were relatively small and they moved around seasonally in search of food supplies. This prevents the overuse of any specific food source.
Contemporary Use of Bush foods
Bush tucker is presently being seen as an important part of our ever evolving national cuisine. The contemporary bush tucker industry uses native animals and plants in different ways from the ways used by Aboriginal people previously. For example plants are used primarily for their flavor rather than nutrition. Consequently, many animal and plant food food sources are now known as gourmet items and are becoming increasingly available in specialty shops and local delicatessens. Coinsider the gourmet items below that have food native to Australia as their main ingredient:
- Kangaroo meat balls
- Bush tomato salsa
- Lemon myrtle cheese
- Wattleseed pasta
- Buffalo steaks smoked over banksia cones
- Witchetty and bunya soup
- Rosella jam
- Lillipilli chutney
Task
1. Define the term 'bush foods'.
2. The traditional diets of Aboriginal people varied across the country, why was this so?
3. Outline what influenced the types of food eaten by different Aboriginal groups
4. Explain why the men's food supply was valued more highly than the women's.
5. Why did the women supply the tribe with more food than the men?
6. Use the weblink to visit Barbushco and Outback Pride two companies with a commercial interest in Australian bush foods. Use the information you find, along with additional resources, to complete the following questions:
a) Outline the nutritional benefits of using bush foods
b) Investigate the benefits of marketing bush foods.
c) Discuss who actually benefits from the marketing of bush foods
d) Explain why companies such as Barbushco and Outback Pride are becoming increasingly successful
e) Predict some of the challenges facing producers of bush foods.
7. In pairs, make a poster or write a newspaper article to compare the nutritive value of the traditional Aboriginal diet to that of Australians today.
a) Research the health problems encountered by Aboriginal people today. Include your findings on your poster or article.
2. The traditional diets of Aboriginal people varied across the country, why was this so?
3. Outline what influenced the types of food eaten by different Aboriginal groups
4. Explain why the men's food supply was valued more highly than the women's.
5. Why did the women supply the tribe with more food than the men?
6. Use the weblink to visit Barbushco and Outback Pride two companies with a commercial interest in Australian bush foods. Use the information you find, along with additional resources, to complete the following questions:
a) Outline the nutritional benefits of using bush foods
b) Investigate the benefits of marketing bush foods.
c) Discuss who actually benefits from the marketing of bush foods
d) Explain why companies such as Barbushco and Outback Pride are becoming increasingly successful
e) Predict some of the challenges facing producers of bush foods.
7. In pairs, make a poster or write a newspaper article to compare the nutritive value of the traditional Aboriginal diet to that of Australians today.
a) Research the health problems encountered by Aboriginal people today. Include your findings on your poster or article.