Generally, bush tucker refers to any edible
wild (ie. non-farmed) plant or animal in Australia. Hunting and roasting a wild
rabbit, however, would not be considered as bush tucker, 'cos rabbits had not
yet been around prior to European civilisation (or invasion, depending on view
point) in 1788. Thus kangaroos, wallabies, emu or even goannas would be prime
examples of bush tucker as far as animals are concerned. In other words,
native species of flora and fauna only qualify as bush tucker -
although the term 'native' is open to interpretation as well: Are dingoes
native? After all they originated in Asia and only came to Australia long after
the first Aboriginal peoples already lived here...
A second characteristic usually attributed to
bush tucker is that these were traditionally used as food by the various
Aboriginal peoples. There are many edible plants that nobody ever bothered
about, 'cos other, more nutritional or tastier species were available and
usually such plants would not be considered bush tucker in a direct sense.
Given the vast size of Australia and the
distinct landscapes and climates of different regions the various types of bush
tucker available at any given location will vary across Australia. In the
following paragraphs I will limnit myself to a few examples of bush tucker that
can be found here in Sydney. And, yes, despite being a big metropolis called
home by some 4.5 million people today there are quite a number of wilderness
areas within the city and I'll talk about the reasons for that in one of my
future blog posts.
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| Black-faced Wallaby (with joey)
© 2008 Jo Gerk |
There are still
wild wallabies around some areas
of Sydney, but they are more likely to end up
as roadkill (especially now in Winter when the evening rush hour traffic occurs
around or after sunset) with the
Wakehurst
Parkway being one of the major
wildlife death traps here in
the North, than as BBQ fare. But the latter would be illegal anyway, as the only
remaining mammal habitats in Sydney are within National Park boundaries, in
which one should take nothing but photographs! Any interference with flora &
fauna, aboriginal heritage sites or geological features is strictly - and
rightfully! - prohibited in protected landscapes.
 |
| Sydney Rock
Oyster |
Pre-1788 seafood was a major part of Aboriginal
diet in this region, especially shellfish varities: for example,
Abalone (aka muttonfish or
muttonshells here in Oz) and various types of oysters, such as the
Sydney Rock Oyster.
The discarded shells piled up over time and
these mounds are called (shell) middens. Today they provide invaluable
information to archeologists, but back then they were very important
in providing information about which species had been consumed last at a
particular site, so that the next visitor would eat something different - quite
a smart way to ensure "sustainable practices" centuries before white people had
any idea what that term even means.
The European settlers destroyed many of those
middens in the 18th and 19th century in order to use the shells in lime
production for the construction of buildings in Sydney Town and also as
fertiliser in the farms struggling on the poor sandstone soils.
And with the big harbour, fish were, of
course, also on the menu -
Bream,
Mullet,
Flathead or
Leatherjackets, for example. The
latter have a very rough skin, which the Aboriginal peoples supposedly have
used like sandpaper. The
Australian Museum lists a
number of traditional names for different fish varieties in the Sydney
region.
Often,
when people hear the term "bush tucker" they think of insects and grubs,
especially the
Witchetty Grub, the large, white, wood-eating
larvae of the Cossid Moth. Aboriginal women and children in the inland desert
areas had to rely on these as a high protein source. The raw witchetty grub
supposedly tastes like almonds and when cooked the skin becomes crisp like roast
chicken while the inside becomes light yellow, like a fried egg (
Wikipedia). I wouldn't
know, as I haven't tried any (yet).
 |
| Witchetty grubs with bunya nuts
and quandong dipping sauce |
I found this platter in a photo by David
Hancock accompanying an online article about Charles Darwin University cooking
lecturer Steve Sunk in the
NT News
from 2008. Arranged like this the grubs look quite appealing, wouldn't you
agree?
But with the seafood available in coastal
regions there is no need to include any grubs or other insects in the diet.
However, good to know for bush survival situations....
Much bigger importance lies with plants:
berries, seeds, tubers, grasses... Whole books could be written about this
subject - and actually, have been! Most notably
Tim
Low's "Wild Food Plants of Australia", which concentrates on more than 180
plants from South Eastern Australia and Les Hiddins'
"Bush
Tucker Field Guide". I just want to mention a handful here:
 |
| New Zealand
Spinach |
Warrigal Greens or (Warigal
Cabbage aka
New Zealand Spinach) are native to
Argentina, Chile, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, where it was famously
"discovered" by Captain James Cook, who used the plant extensively on board the
Endeavour to allay scurvy amongst his crew.
The
Magenta Lilly Pilly is
one of 4 species of Lilly Pilly growing in the Sydney region and the only one to
be confined to NSW. The little dark red fruits are quite tasty, despite being
fairly sour and the seed inside can ruin the experience sometimes.
Some 45 different types of figs grow in
Australia, mostly in rainforests and on riverbanks. While all of them are
edible, their taste quakities can vary substantially. Only five species grow as
far South as Sydney and of these the
Crowned Sandpaper Fig
supposedly is the tastiest.
The most famous, and only native plant to
also be farmed extensively internationally is the Macadamia
Nut. Strictly speaking it does not belong here in this post, as it is
from Queensland, rather than Sydney. However, I was told to use Macadamia Nut
Oil with Ginger and Lemon-Myrtle to marinate kangaroo meat and I must admit that
the result was very yummy!!
Finally, a word about
Wattle
Seeds: not all of them are edible, but among those that are, quite a
few are very protein rich. The soft green seeds were eaten like peas, while the
hard ripe ones were crushed into flower to make damper, or bush bread. On the
South Coast the green seeds were often used as back-up food in times of food
shortage. Talking about peas - there are about 850 kinds of native peas and
beans in Oz and almost all of them are poisonous!
Apart from foods
there were also medicinal uses for some plants.
Lemon-Myrtle,
for example, could be used to cure headaches, while
Peppermint
Gum unblocks a stuffy nose.
Pig Face leaves can be used against sunburn and
Lemon
Scented Tea Tree chucked into the fire will keep the mozzies
away!
Here is
a little video clip featuring Aboriginal Education Officer Jess Sinnott showing
some of those plants in the
Royal
Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Jess frequently runs presentations all over the
city and if you ever get a chance to see her live, you should take advanatage of
that. And if you're lucky she may have some yummy samples for you to taste as
well (like her wattle seed cream cake, for example)!
How about you? Has any of you ever tried any
bush tucker? Or used it as an ingredient for an "ordinary" meal? What was it and
how did you like it? I'm looking forward to your stories :)
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