Wild Aussie Native Foods

A lot of Australian native foods are very high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Which is great if you eat them, so what do they taste like? Australian natives are also being researched and used in cosmetics and pharmeceuticals. As well as that many are being genotyped for potential use in crispr as the Aussie varieties are resistant to many pests and hardy enough to survive in harsh climate conditions.

Taste Testing Australian Native Foods, foods in this episode:
Kakadu plums: found in tropical woodlands across northern Australia, richest source of vitamin C of any fruit on the planet.
Finger Limes (citrus australasica) beautiful on a salmon salad
Tasmanian Pepper Berries
Muntries(Kunzea pomifera) Southern Coast of Australia,
Quandong (santalum acuminatum) Early settlers loved to use them in pies and jams.  Highly in vit C.
Lemon Aspen (acronychia acidula)
Davidson Plum (davidson spp.): QLD, Northern NSW
Wattle Seeds: Australia Wide, Are actually legumes, need to be cooked before eating.
Desert limes
Bunya Nuts: QLD, Northern NSW, Eaten at large scale gatherings.
Apple Berry (Billardiera scanden) Vic, NSW, Berries were eaten raw
Vanilla Lily (Arthropodium milleflorum): Vic, NSW Edible tuberous root traditionally eaten raw or roasted
Crocodile
Kangaroo
Emu
Green Ants

Want to know more:

Domesticated Australian wattle seeds (Acacia species): nutritional values, techno-functional properties and toxicological assessments after roasting, International Journal of Food Science and Technology, Volume 59, Issue 1, January 2024, Pages 573–583

Bancroft, C. (2018) Following in Harold Comber’s Footsteps, a Beginner’s Guide to Plant Collecting
Mentioned the effect of pepper berries.

Dann, B., & Mandie, T. (2025). The Australian Ingredients Kitchen: Simple recipes using bushfoods. Allen & Unwin.

Dawson, J. (1881). Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Melbourne : G. Robertson.
A fascinating read by someone who respected the indigenous people and took the time to learn from them, a rarity at that time.

Fielke, A. (2020). Australia’s creative native cuisine. Brolly Books.
Best of the modern books about native ingredients.

Isaacs, J. (1989). Bush food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine.

Miller, J. B., James, K. W., & Maggiore, P. M. A. (1993). Tables of Composition of Australian Aboriginal Foods. Aboriginal Studies Press.

The Useful Native Plants of Australia (including Tasmania) By Joseph Henry Maiden · 1889

My Cookbook

Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.