Bushtucker is also called bush food or any food that is native to Australia. A few months ago I saw an interesting documentary on Netflix done by British comedian Bill Baily. It was called “Wild West Australia”. I came to realise how little I knew about Western Australia even though I have lived here for more than 30 years. This documentary inspired me to start learning more about my adopted country.
As a foodie and a food blogger I saw a segment in this documentary on Aboriginal history and Bushtucker. This led me to explore what was available locally. To my surprise I discovered some very interesting talks and tasting workshops taking place in the Mandoon Estate which is in the Swan Valley wine region, only 30 minutes away by car from my home. I just couldn’t miss this opportunity. These talks and tastings are organised and presented by a lady called Dale Tilbrook.
The Mandoon Estate is a winery which was established in 2008 by the Erceg family who pride themselves on the respect for the traditions, culture and land of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. They chose a Noongar word Mandoon meaning the place of many trees as the name of the estate.
Dale is a Wardandi Bibbulmun woman whose traditional Aboriginal country is the Margaret River, Busselton area. She spent many years gathering knowledge from her elders. Her passion for bush food is contagious. The talk was an incredible sensory experience of taste and sniff. We were encouraged to touch, smell, and taste plants that the traditional owners of Australia commonly use for both nutritional and medicinal benefits.
We started the talk with a hot cup of lemon myrtle tea and a swirl of local honey. Dale explores in her talk “the big supermarket that is the Australian bush” These are her own words. Then there was a procession of native fruits, nuts, herbs, spices and peppers. Some were sweet, some were sour, some peppery and some were spicy. The whole journey was a gourmet and colourful experience. She encouraged all of us to incorporate some of these ingredients into everyday cooking.
BUSH TOMATOES
HERBS
NUTS
FINGER LIMES
Today Perth has a handful of chefs that use these incredible native ingredients. “Wildflower” is a Michelin star restaurant in Perth that has an incredible tasting menu using native ingredients. This is well worth a visit.
Perth to Paris Recipes 