Celebrating our native pantry

IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S Gibson Desert grows a plant that’s helped sustain the Pintupi people of the Kiwirrkurra community for generations.

Warrilyu seed, from thick-leaved mallee, is magnesium-rich and has long been ground into a delicious nutty paste. But its exceptional nutritional value was only recognised by modern ethnobotanists last year after Pintupi elders shared their knowledge of harvesting and processing warrilyu seeds and other bush foods with University of Queensland researcher Boyd Wright, hoping to help preserve their ancient know-how.

Meanwhile, plant scientists across the country have been busy collating information on the many indigenous foods that grow in Australia. Warrilyu seed is one of more than 6000 endemic ingredients. While the Australian landscape is often perceived as harsh and desolate, it’s sustained Earth’s oldest continuous living culture with a bounty of yams, tubers, grains, plums, berries and tomatoes for millennia.

There is now much enthusiasm for the incredible potential to bring edible plant products to the world table as the global appetite for this unique produce grows. But many Aboriginal people are concerned their communities will be left behind as the market marches forward. It’s a critical time for the burgeoning native bush foods industry, which in the past has been accused of ignoring cultural practices and Indigenous knowledge. And if the industry gets it right, there’s a great opportunity for an ethical new food future to be created in Australia.

ASK ANY CHEF why they cook what they do and you’re sure to hear a story. When Scottish-born Jock Zonfrillo, one of Australia’s latest celebrity chefs, landed on our shores some 20 years ago, he was keen to learn about indigenous foods and Aboriginal cooking traditions. But he was surprised how few native