NATIVE FARE
Long before Europeans settled in Australia and brought their imported crops and stock animals with them, Indigenous people had been living off the plants and animals that are endemic here.
While the colonists relied on some native foods early on for survival, these were widely ignored once they were able to grow plentiful supplies of their favoured fare. But fast forward to modern-day Australia, and native foods are enjoying a renaissance.
Their rise in popularity is linked to a greater appreciation from foodies, a burgeoning supplier market and, in part, attributed to reality TV cooking shows that use native ingredients for an ironically ‘exotic’ flair. All these factors are shining an increasingly bright spotlight on the industry and attracting greater focus from consumers.
Some of the more commonly known bush foods include lemon myrtle, pepperberry, Kakadu and Davidson plums, wattleseed as well as salt bush, Warrigal greens (akin to spinach), finger limes and bush tomatoes. In terms of protein, think emu, kangaroo and crocodile.
While it is growing,
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