Bush Tucker

There are many reasons why native Australian ingredients have not been taken up as widely as they deserve. Cultural cringe has always been a factor. In colonial times, even Australian fish – now highly regarded – were neglected in favour of imported fish, according to author and artist Louisa Anne Meredith, writing in 1844 in Notes and Sketches of New South Wales: ‘I never saw any native fish at a Sydney dinner-table – the preserved or cured cod and salmon from England being served instead, at a considerable expense, and to my taste, it is not comparable with the cheap fresh fish, but being expensive, it has become “fashionable”.’ Nowadays, with only a minority of Australians living on the land, the cost of most bush tucker is an issue, as well as difficulty of access. However, even where edible plant species have been grown in public parks and home gardens in the towns and cities, often the fruit falls to the ground, uneaten and untried. An impediment for many is the lack of suitable recipes, with detailed directions on how to prepare them, so the following should help fill this gap.

Dianella

Illawarra Plums

 

Kangaroo

Lilly Pillies

 

Macadamias

 

Pigweed

 

Sarsaparilla Vine

 

Warrigal Greens

Wattle Seed

 

 

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