Australian bush food or ‘bush tucker’ as it’s known by the locals, is the animal and plant foods that native aborigines lived on for an estimated 60 thousand years before European settlers arrived in Australia. This staggering length of time makes ‘bush tucker’ possibly the oldest food on earth.
From kangaroo, crocodile, and emu, to fruits, mushrooms, seaweeds, tubers, and leaves, these nomadic hunters and gatherers had intimate knowledge of the land and the medicinal benefits of its flora and fauna.
Over time, research has proven these nutrient-dense foods are excellent for overall health and wellbeing. And the best thing about it, according to aboriginal elder Lindsay Adam better known as ‘bush tucker Fred’ “they’re everywhere, you just have to know what you’re looking for”.
Fred took us for a tour of his supermarket, the sand dunes of Wollongong, a coastal haven on the east coast of Australia, to forage for what is possibly the oldest foods on earth.
[Lindsay Adam (Fred), Bush Food Chef]:
“Aboriginal culture has been proven to be one of the oldest cultures on earth that are still living and surviving these days. With carbon dating, they’ve put it back to at least 60 or 70 thousand years. There’s been a lot of experimentation as to what we can eat and do with the plants. Nearly every single plant has its use, whether it’s food or whether it’s for
medicine.”
“There’s an incredible amount of food here, it’s right in front of your eyes if you know what you’re looking for and if you know how to get it. It’s like our supermarket out there instead of being in a building it’s out there in the bush and if you know what you’re looking for you’re not going to go hungry.”
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