Since many English immigrated to Australia, the cuisine of Australia was not so different from the English cuisine for a long time. Only in the 70s of the last century did this change and the menu became more international and diverse.
In the meantime you can also get a lot of dishes from the Asian cuisine, as many immigrants from Asia run small restaurants. Most people buy in the supermarket, the range is wide and not always healthy.
Little attention has been paid to the cuisine of the Aborigines, the indigenous people of Australia, a country in Oceania defined by smber. But that is slowly changing. You can now buy many components of the original Aboriginal diet under the name “Bush tucker” in many supermarkets. This also includes special spices.
What is Bush Food?
Bush food, which translates as ” bush food ” and which you will also find under the name Bush Tucker, is the traditional cuisine of the Aborigines, the people who were the first to live in Australia long before the white settlers set foot set the continent.
The natives lived in and with nature and behaved accordingly. In earlier times there was neither agriculture nor animal husbandry. The residents wandered around as hunters and gatherers, feeding on the plants and animals they found on site. For hunting they used spears and boomerangs as well as fishing nets made from plants. By the sea, fish was an important part of the diet, but so were oysters and other seafood.
The meat available was that of emus, wombats and kangaroos, which mainly hunted men. Often the meat was prepared in simple earth ovens. But smaller animals were also important as food, including turtles, snakes or insects and their larvae.
Children and women were then responsible for this form of nutrition, which was usually prepared in hot ashes. Of course, edible fruits and plants were also collected. There was even a special bush bread. Birds’ eggs were also collected.
Today bush food is understood as the consumption of native plants and animals. For a long time this food was not particularly valued, which was also accompanied by the disdain of the Aborigines. But in the meantime a kitchen has emerged from it that you can find in the elegant restaurants of the big cities these days. That’s what bush bread is likemade from plant seeds and at least similar to bread, has become a popular delicacy. Because of the ingredients it is very healthy. Above all, bread serves as a source of protein.
Witchetty maggots, which are eaten raw or grilled, also provide protein. Today these maggots, which incidentally feed on wood, no longer have to be collected; you can buy them packaged in the supermarket. They should taste like nuts.
Bush bananas, which are only found in Australia, as well as bush beans and bush plums are also part of the so-called bush food. Incidentally, these bush plums have the highest vitamin C content of all plants that has been measured so far, 50 times higher than that of an orange. Roots of orchids, figs, “wild pears” and yams are also included.
English cuisine was the inspiration
Otherwise you will find some English cuisine in Australia such as Meat Pie, the popular hot meat pie, and this in all possible variations. Bratwurst with mashed potatoes are popular and there are different ways to process pumpkins.
For breakfast there is a toast with Vegemite, a special yeast spread. Australians often drink coffee or black tea with them. A café culture has developed in the big cities that offers all possible ways of preparing coffee. In the country you will find simple powder coffee, which is also offered in restaurants as a refill – to fill up. Usually it tastes like little or nothing.
If you don’t like the yeast spread, put orange or strawberry jam on the toast. Fried bacon with tomatoes and scrambled eggs are also often part of breakfast. In the meantime, muesli has also found its way. Or if you like it unhealthy, you can get all kinds of sugary breakfast cereals.
Burger or sandwich for lunch and BBQ in the evening
For lunch there is often a burger or a sandwich, which you can buy somewhere quickly. But these sandwiches are often tough and replace a whole meal.
The families then eat copiously in the evening. This is the so-called dinner, the main meal for Australians.
The Australians love to grill and in Australia that means barbecue, or BBQ for short. There is meat in all varieties, from beef steak to kangaroo meat. Ostrich and crocodile meat also like to end up on the grill plate.
