Recipe: How To Use Australian Native Foods
Our Operations Manager, Lauren, reflects on her first time trying Australian native food.
For some time, the term 'bush-tucker' brought images of toasted Witchetty grubs to my mind, an Australian delicacy that I wasn’t too excited to try.
I can remember in primary school when we learned about Indigenous Australian’s cooking techniques and I tried kangaroo tail cooked on the coals with some damper. I was probably more interested in the damper, and I never thought too much again about Australian native foods.
Although they grow in our Country, Australian native foods always seemed foreign to me. Where do I get them? How do I use them? Do they taste delicious?
I’m sure many of you can resonate with this, a curiosity that inspired passionate Australian native food chef, Andrew Fielke to carve out a niche in cooking with Australian native plants. He saw great potential for Australians to be using native species of flora and fauna, ingredients that Aboriginal people have been using for thousands of years.
We are fortunate that renowned native food pioneer Andrew Fielke has been our consultant chef at Murray River Trails from our first Murray River Walk in 2016.
Here at Murray River Trails, we use Australian native foods in many of our dishes because they taste amazing, and just like Andrew Fielke, we want to introduce our guests to the wonderful flavours and versatility of Australian native foods.
NATIVE FOODS WE USE & LOVE
Saltbush – foraged from the wild which we love to use fresh. Chop it finely and add to salads for a hit of natural salt.
Quandong – a native peach, the fruit is tart – but sweet. The perfect filling for pies!
Lemon Myrtle – an aromatic leaf, smelling of, you guessed it – lemon! Make a fold along the spine of the leaf and add to roasted pumpkin soup.
Murray Cod – best purchased from a certified farmer. We love it baked with a cust of lemon myrtle & panko crumbs.
Wattleseed – usually ground into a powder that can be added to anything and offers a coffee-like flavour. Delicious in ice creams!
Bush tomato – our friend Andrew Fielke makes a Bush Tomato Relish that is to die for! Brilliant partner for eggs & sandwiches.
Kangaroo – this ingredient needs no introduction! Keep it simple, we love to cook the fillet on an open grill, glazed with wattleseed balsamic.
Ready to use Australia native foods at home? Start with our tried, tested, and all-round crowd-pleaser breakfast!
EASY SALTBUSH SCRAMBLED EGGS RECIPE
Grow Your Own: ‘Old Man’ Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) is a robust, drought-tolerant shrub with lovely blue leaves. Can be planted in pots, or the ground, ask your local nursery for a plant so you can have fresh saltbush all year round.
ingredients
- 2 free ranges eggs per person, beaten
- Good handful of fresh saltbush leaves, chopped roughly
- 2 tbs butter
- Black pepper
Note: natural salt flavour is released by the saltbush. We suggest tasting the eggs before adding additional salt
method
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl & beat to combine. Set aside.
- Melt 2tbs of butter in a large frying pan, heat until lightly bubbling/frothing
- Add the saltbush leaves and stir, until they are softened
- Add the eggs and stir continuously
- Season with pepper
- Continue to fold the egg mixture gently until cooked through
- Serve on thick slices of sourdough toast with a spoon of Tuckerro Bush Tomato Relish (or plain tomato relish)
Bon Appetit!
LEARN MORE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN NATIVE FOODS
Our Favourite Reads
- ‘Australia’s Creative Native Cuisine’ Andrew Fielke
- ‘Dark Emu’ Bruce Pascoe
- ‘Edible Wild Native Plants for Southern Australia’ Neville Bonney
Our Favourite Websites
- Creative Native Foods Education Kit
WHERE TO PURCHASE AUSTRALIAN NATIVE FOODS
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