Our backyards are a free supermarket of bush tucker superfoods
Seasonal edible fruits and berries surround us, so we need to learn how to cook these rich superfoods found in our backyard.
In Western Australia's East Kimberley region, Samantha Martin, a Jaru descendant, highlights the abundance of edible fruits and berries found in local bushland. She describes sandpaper figs, peach berries, tamarind, and a cocky apple tree as examples of the "bush supermarket" readily available nearby. Born and raised in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Ms Martin promotes native Australian bush foods and shares recipes for cooking them.
Her mother was a skilled bush cook, and the family relied on local foods such as goanna, barramundi, and bream.
Ms Martin aims to introduce bush foods into everyday kitchens by making simple substitutions, like using lemon myrtle in place of rosemary and thyme, or lemon aspen instead of lemons or limes. She also encourages the experimentation with game meats like kangaroo and crocodile in various dishes, such as curries, stews, stir-fries, and even tacos. Celebrity chefs and cooking shows have contributed to this trend by introducing native ingredients to a wider audience.
Leveraging her knowledge of native ingredients, Ms Martin is collaborating with the Local Indigenous Food Enterprise Services (LIFES) in Far North Queensland to mentor Aboriginal communities interested in growing their own native foods and creating businesses to provide for their communities. Mark Harbrow, the president of LIFES, emphasizes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have long recognized the health, nutrition, and medicinal benefits of these native plants.
Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Elder Henrietta Marrie, Tracy Gray, and Roy Gray Junior are actively involved in this movement. Marrie, whose family has grown yams for generations, explains their versatility, as they can be used as a substitute for potatoes, made into flour, and even incorporated into ice cream. She is currently working with the University of Queensland to assess the nutritional value of yams and enhance their cultural and scientific aspects.
Barbra Drummond, an Indigenous catering business owner from Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait, underscores the role of bush foods in bringing people together. Growing up, food was a focal point of family gatherings, symbolizing celebration, flavors, and shared experiences. Ms Drummond hopes that incorporating bush foods into daily meals will strengthen community bonds.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
