Thanks to indigenous bush-cooking initiatives, increased success with commercial crops and publicity from high-profile chefs, a range of Australian bush herbs and spices is trickling into our gardens, nurseries and supermarkets.
While Australia’s indigenous peoples have long enjoyed the flavours and nutritional benefits of native plants, many Australians have yet to sample the smorgasbord on offer. In some cases, the flavours imparted by native plants aren’t far removed from introduced ingredients, and can therefore be used in many of the same dishes.
https://mrccc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Edible-and-useful-native-plants.pdf
Good guide for SE QLD.
Good stuff. Just about everything in my garden is edible. I’m particularly fond of the midjim berries and Lilli pillis. Still waiting for my Macadamia to flower.
Soy/curry kangaroo wrapped in big blanched Warrigal greens leaves (new Zealand spinach), when you can find them, are also a favourite. Sadly, I don’t live where samphire grows any more; it’s a good side dish if you can get young shoots.
Didn’t know Samphire.
Samphire is a genus of salt-tolerant, ground-hugging succulents, some of which are endemic or unique to Australia[3]. It is also known as sea asparagus, swamp grass, salicorn, glasswort, pickleweed, and sea beans[1][3]. Samphire is a promising underutilized Australian indigenous edible halophyte, and it has been used as bush tucker by Aboriginal Australians for tens of thousands of years due to its abundance, flavor, and nutritional value[2][4]. Samphire is an extremely versatile food and can be consumed fresh – raw or cooked – in a wide variety of dishes, dried or crushed, as a spice[3]. Marsh samphire is the most widely available type of samphire, and it has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively crisp and salty taste. It can be used raw in salad, though it tends to be very salty, so it is more often boiled or steamed for a few minutes[5]. Samphire is appearing on restaurant menus across the country, and it is often served alongside roasted meats and seafood[6].
Citations: [1] https://tasteaustralia.biz/bushfood/samphire/ [2] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389%2Ffnut.2021.607799 [3] https://warndu.com/blogs/first-nations-food-guide/samphire-the-asparagus-of-the-sea [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samphire [5] https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/samphire-glossary [6] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/saltbush-samphire-indigenous-ingredients-victoria-australia
Yeah, they’re pretty good!
Particularly if you can get them young enough before the internal ‘stringy’ bit gets too hard.
South coast of nsw is a pretty good option. Great as an accompaniment to snapper or flathead.
Native cherries aren’t too bad either… but it’s a tough ask to get them after they lose their astringency and before the birds get them. The broad leaf variety are even harder.
