Bush Tucker
| Search by Category | ||
| Animals Drinks Food Bush Tucker Cars Travel Time | Kids People Clothing Places School Home | Greetings More Things More Slang Rhyming Slang Diminutives Slang Phrases Military Slang |
Tucker in Australian means food and bush tucker is a huge variety of spices, fruits, vegetables, animals, etc. that are native to Australia. For as long as 50,000 years, Aborigines have been eating bush tucker. Although about 80% of Australians are city dwellers, there is a growing appreciation today for bush tucker and an interest in exploring new tastes.
You may not be brave enough to try Witchetty Grubs, but you’re sure to like our very popular Barramundi and Balmain Bugs served in our best restaurants. We’ve listed below a few of the more well-known bush tucker items.
See also Food Conversions
| Balmain Bug | small type of crayfish, sweet-flavoured, firm textured and excellent for eating |
| Barramundi | large, good tasting fish found off the coast of QLD, NT, and WA |
| Morton Bay Bug | small crayfish from Queensland and Northern Territory |
| Muddie | a large delicious mud crab found in the mangrove wetlands of QLD and NSW |
| Yabby | freshwater crayfish, sweet-flavoured, firm-textured |
| Emu | flightless relative of the ostrich, meat is red, tender and richly flavoured. Also eggs are eaten and are 10 times bigger than a hens egg. Raised commercially throughout Australia. |
| Goanna | native lizard of the Monitor family. As a food, it’s high in protein. |
| Kangaroo | tasty, virtually fat-free meat, popular preserved as jerky or smoked. |
| Witchetty Grub | fat white grub found in the roots of trees. They are very nutritious with an oily, nutty flavour and a good source of calcium and iron. It’s an acquired taste. Can be eaten raw or roasted in hot ashes over a campfire. Traditional Aboriginal food. |
| Bush Tomatoes | small pungent berry is collected in the central desert regions from a shrub related to the tomato family. Also called Desert Raisins |
| Bunya Nut | large starchy textured nuts with a tough woody casing, comes from the huge Bunya pine tree native to Queensland and New South Wales. |
| Illawarra Plums | unique dark red berry of the Brown Pine, unusual fruit has its stone on the outside |
| Kakadu Plum | sharp flavoured green plum, worlds highest recorded fruit content of vitamin C |
| Lemon Myrtle | rain forest tree leaves and stems with a wonderful citrus flavour and aroma. |
| Macadamia Nuts | delicious crunchy textured nut, grows widely in NSW and QLD |
| Quandong | wild, or desert, peach is the famous bush tucker fruit. High in vitamin C. Common to arid areas |
| Wattle Seed | certain Acacia seeds dry roasted and ground to enhance their natural nutty, coffee-like flavour. |