View source for Bush tucker

{{Short description|Food used as sustenance by Indigenous Australians}}
{{distinguish|Bushmeat}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox cuisine
| image = Australian bush tucker, Alice Springs.jpg
| caption = Bush tucker in [[Alice Springs]]
| country = [[Australia]]
| culture = [[Indigenous Australians]]
| regional =
| see_also =
}}
'''Bush tucker''', also called '''bush food''', is any food native to Australia and historically eaten by [[Indigenous Australians]] and [[Torres Strait Islander]] peoples, but it can also describe any native [[Organism|flora, fauna, or fungi]] used for culinary or medicinal purposes, regardless of the continent or culture. Animal native foods include [[Kangaroo meat|kangaroo]], [[emu]], [[witchetty grub]]s and [[Crocodile meat|crocodile]], and plant foods include fruits such as [[Santalum acuminatum|quandong]], [[Solanum centrale|kutjera]], spices such as [[lemon myrtle]] and vegetables such as [[warrigal greens]] and various native yams.

Traditional Indigenous Australians' use of bushfoods has been severely affected by the [[settlement of Australia|colonisation of Australia]] beginning in 1788 and subsequent settlement by non-Indigenous peoples. The introduction of non-native organisms, together with the loss of and destruction of traditional lands and habitats, has resulted in reduced access to native foods by Aboriginal people. 

Since the 1970s, there has been recognition of the nutritional and gourmet value of native foods by non-Indigenous Australians, and the [[History of the bushfood industry|bushfood industry]] has grown enormously. Kangaroo meat has been available in supermarkets since the 1980s, and many other foods are sold in restaurants or packaged as gourmet foods, which has led to expansion of commercial cultivation of native food crops.

==History==
[[File:Yuendumu Gold 33.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Collecting bush tucker near [[Yuendumu]]]]
Aboriginal Australians have eaten native animal and plant foods for the estimated 60,000 years of human habitation on the Australian continent, using various traditional methods of processing and cooking.<ref name=hiddins>{{Cite book|title=Bush Tucker Field Guide |last=Hiddins| first=Les| publisher=Explore Australia Publishing|year=2003|isbn=1741170281|location=Australia|pages=x}}</ref> An estimated 4,999 species of native food were used by Aboriginal peoples. With much of it unsafe or unpalatable raw, food was processed by cooking on open fires, boiling in bark containers, pounding vegetables and seeds, or hanging bags in running water.<ref name=sbsfood>{{cite web | title=About Native Australian food | website=Food | date=1 July 2008 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2008/07/01/about-native-australian-food | access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>
===Colonisation===
[[File:Billardiera scandens(cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Billardiera scandens]]'']]

Bush tucker provided a source of nutrition to the non-indigenous colonial settlers, often supplementing meagre rations. However, bushfoods were often considered to be inferior by colonists unfamiliar with Australia, generally preferring familiar foods from their homelands.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Oldest Foods on Earth|last=Newton|first=John|publisher=NewSouth Publishing|year=2016|isbn=9781742234373|location=Sydney, Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Colonial Kitchen|last=O'Brien|first=Charmaine|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2016|isbn=9781442249813|location=USA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Eat Your History, Stories and Recipes from Australian Kitchens|last=Newling|first=Jacqui|publisher=Sydney Living Museums and NewSouth Publishing|year=2015|isbn=9781742234687|location=Sydney, Australia}}</ref>

Especially in the more densely colonised areas of south-eastern Australia, the introduction of non-native foods to Aboriginal people resulted in an almost complete abandonment of native foods by them.<ref name=sbsfood/> This impact on traditional foods was further accentuated by the loss of traditional lands, which has resulted in reduced access to native foods by Aboriginal people, and destruction of native habitat for agriculture.<ref name=sbsfood/>

The 19th century English botanist [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]], writing of Australian plants, remarked that although bushtucker is "eatable," it is not "fit to eat". In 1889, botanist [[Joseph Maiden]] reiterated this sentiment with the comment on native food plants being "nothing to boast of as eatables."<ref>Maiden, J.H., ''The Useful Native Plants of Australia'', 1889, p.1</ref> The first [[monograph]] to be published on the [[flora of Australia]] reported the lack of edible plants on the first page, where it presented ''[[Billardiera scandens]]'' as, "... almost the only wild eatable fruit of the country".<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first= J E |author-link=James Edward Smith (botanist) |title= [[Spec. Bot. New Holland]]|year=1793 |publisher=[[James Sowerby]] |quote=AMID all the beauty and variety which the vegetable productions of New Holland display in such profusion, there has not yet been discovered a proportionable degree of usefulness to mankind, at least with respect to food. }}</ref>

==Modern use==
{{further|History of the bushfood industry}}
Apart from the [[macadamia nut]], with the first small-scale commercial plantation being planted in Australia in the 1880s, no native food plants were produced commercially until the 1990s. The macadamia was the only Australian native plant food developed and cropped on a large scale.<ref name=sbsfood/> [[Hawaii]], however, was where the macadamia was commercially developed to its greatest extent.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RES-039.pdf|series=Research extension series|issn=0271-9916|title=Macadamia nuts in Hawaii: History and production|last1=Shigeura|first1=Gordon T.|first2=Hiroshi|last2=Ooka|date=April 1984|publisher=University of Hawaii. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources|access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>

From the 1970s, non-Indigenous Australians began to recognise previously overlooked native Australian foods. Textbooks such as ''Wildfoods in Australia'' (1981) by botanists [[Alan Cribb|Alan]] and [[Joan Cribb]]<ref>{{Citation | author1=Cribb, A. B. (Alan Bridson) | author2=Cribb, J. W. (Joan Winifred), 1930- | title=Wild medicine in Australia | publication-date=1981 | publisher=Fontana/Collins | isbn=978-0-00-636559-4 }}</ref> were popular. In the late 1970s, horticulturists started to assess native food-plants for commercial use and cultivation.

In 1980, [[South Australia]] legalised the sale of [[kangaroo meat]] for human consumption,<ref name=low/> and it is now commonly found in supermarkets and prized for its nutritional value as a [[lean meat]].<ref name=sbsfood/> Analysis shows that a variety of bushfoods are exceptionally nutritious.<ref name=low>Low, T., ''Wild Food Plants of Australia'', Angus & Robertson, 1992, pp 199–202 {{ISBN|0-207-16930-6}}</ref> In the mid-1980s, several Sydney restaurants began using native Australian ingredients in recipes more familiar to non-Indigenous tastes, providing the first opportunity for bushfoods to be tried by non-Indigenous Australians on a [[gourmet]] level. 

Following popular TV programs on "bush tucker", a surge in interest in the late 1980s saw the publication of books like ''Bushfood: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine'' by Jennifer Isaacs, ''The Bushfood Handbook'' and ''Uniquely Australian'' by [[Vic Cherikoff]], and ''Wild Food Plants of Australia'' by [[Tim Low]].<ref name=low/> 

An advantage of growing the native foods is that they are well adapted to Australia's environment, in particular at the extreme ends, and are ecologically sound.<ref name=sbsfood/> Bush-tucker ingredients were initially harvested from the wild, but cultivated sources have become increasingly important to provide sustainable supplies for a growing market, with some Aboriginal communities also involved in the supply chain. However, despite the industry being founded on Aboriginal knowledge of the plants, Aboriginal participation in the commercial sale of bush tucker is currently still marginal, and mostly at the supply end of value chains.  Organisations are working to increase Aboriginal participation in the bush-tucker market.  Gourmet-style [[processed food]] and [[dried food]] have been developed for the domestic and export markets.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

The term "bushfood" is one of several terms describing native Australian food, evolving from the older-style "bush tucker" which was used in the 1970s and 1980s.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

In the 21st century, many restaurants are serving emu, crocodile, [[Cherax|yabbies]] and locally sourced [[Eel as food|eel]]s, and using native plant spices for flavour. Producers have sprung up across the country to serve the new markets, including [[Tasmania]]n pepper, Victorian eel farms and [[South Australia]]n plantations of quandongs, bush tomatoes, and native citrus.<ref name=sbsfood/>

In 2020, researchers at the [[University of Queensland]] were researching a fruit native to [[Arnhem Land]] in the [[Northern Territory]], ''[[Buchanania obovata]]'', known as the green plum. Eaten for more than 53,000 years but previously little-known among non-Indigenous people, the scientists learnt about the plum from people at the remote community of [[Yirrkala]]. It is harvested some time after the [[Kakadu plum]] harvests. Nutritional analysis showed high levels of [[protein]], [[dietary fibre]] and the minerals [[potassium]], [[phosphorus]] and [[magnesium]]. In addition, the [[folate]] level is among the highest of commercially available fruits. Its potential as a commercial crop for Indigenous communities is being investigated.<ref >{{cite web | title=Native green plums from Arnhem Land found to have significant health benefits, commercial appeal|first=Halina |last=Baczkowski  | website=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | date=31 May 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-31/native-bush-food-green-plums-found-to-have-health-benefits/12292208 | access-date=1 June 2020|series=Landline}} [https://iview.abc.net.au/show/landline On iview]</ref>

==Types of foods==
{{further|Indigenous Australian food groups|Australian Aboriginal sweet foods}}
Toxic seeds, such as [[Cycas|''Cycas media'']] and [[Castanospermum|Moreton Bay chestnut]], are processed to remove the toxins and render them safe to eat. Many foods are also baked in the hot campfire coals, or baked for several hours in ground ovens. "[[Paperbark]]", the bark of ''[[Melaleuca]]'' species, is widely used for wrapping food placed in ground ovens. [[Bush bread]] was made by women using many types of seeds, nuts and corns to process a flour or dough. Some animals, such as kangaroos, were cooked in their own skins, and others, such as [[turtle]]s, were cooked in their own shells.<ref name=hiddins/>

Kangaroo is quite common and can be found in Australian supermarkets, often cheaper than beef. Other animals, for example, jimba (sheep), emu, [[goanna]] and [[Witchetty grub|witchetty grubs]], are eaten by Aboriginal Australians. Fish and [[shellfish]] are culinary features of the Australian coastal communities.

Examples of Australian native plant foods include the fruits quandong, kutjera, [[muntries]], [[riberry]], [[Davidsonia|Davidson's plum]], and [[finger lime]]. Native spices include lemon myrtle, [[Tasmannia lanceolata|mountain pepper]], and the [[Terminalia ferdinandiana|kakadu plum]]. Various native yams are valued as food, and a popular leafy vegetable is [[warrigal greens]]. Nuts include [[bunya nut]] and the most identifiable bush tucker plant harvested and sold in large-scale commercial quantities, the macadamia nut. Knowledge of Aboriginal uses of [[fungi]] is meagre, but [[Fistulina hepatica|beefsteak fungus]] and [[Laccocephalum mylittae|native "bread"]] (a fungus also) were certainly eaten.

==Native Australian food-plants listed by culinary province and plant part==
Australian bush tucker plants can be divided into several distinct and large regional culinary provinces. Some species listed grow across several climatic boundaries.

{|
|-
|''[[Adansonia gregorii]]''||boab
|-
|''[[Buchanania arborescens]]''||sparrow's mango
|-
|''[[Citrus gracilis]]rry
|-
|''[[Ficus racemosa]]''||cluster fig
|-
|''[[Manilkara kauki]]''||wongi
|-
|''[[Melastoma affine]]''||blue tongue
|-
|''[[Mimusops elengi]]''||tanjong
|-
|''[[Morinda citrifolia]]''||great morinda
|-
|''[[Physalis minima]]''||native gooseberry
|-
|''[[Terminalia ferdinandiana]]''||kakadu plum
|-
|''[[Syzygium erythrocalyx]]''||Johnstone's River satinash
|-
|''[[Syzygium fibrosum]]''||fibrous satinash
|-
|''[[Syzygium suborbiculare]]''||lady apple
|}

=== Vegetables ===
{|
|-
|''[[Dioscorea alata]]''||purple yam 
|-
|''[[Dioscorea bulbifera]]''||round yam
|-
|''[[Dioscorea transversa]]''||pencil yam, long yam
|-
|''[[Eleocharis palustris]]''||spikerush 
|-
|''[[Ipomoea aquatica]]''||water spinach
|-
|''[[Nelumbo nucifera]]''||lotus
|-
|''[[Nymphaea macrosperma]]''||water lily
|}

=== Nuts ===
{|
|-
|''[[Cycas media]]''||cycad palm seeds (requires detoxification: see [[Bush bread]] )
|-
|''[[Semecarpus australiensis]]''||Australian cashew
|-
|''[[Terminalia catappa]]''||sea almond
|}

=== Spices ===
{|
|-
|''[[Eucalyptus staigeriana]]''||lemon ironbark
|-
|''[[Melaleuca leucadendra]]''||weeping paperbark
|-
|''[[Melaleuca viridiflora]]''||kitcha-kontoo
|-
|''[[Ocimum tenuiflorum]]''||native basil
|}

===Outback Australia===
Arid and semi-arid zones of the low rainfall interior.

====Fruits====
[[File:Santalum acuminatum fruit1.JPG|thumb|[[Santalum acuminatum|Desert quandong]]]]
[[File:Bush-Tomato.jpg|thumb|[[Bush tomato]]es]]
{|
|-
|''[[Capparis]]'' spp.||native caper, [[caperbush]]
|-
|''[[Capparis mitchelii]]''||wild orange
|-
|[[Capparis spinosa subsp. nummularia|''Capparis spinosa''<br/>subsp. ''nummularia'']]||wild passionfruit
|-
|''[[Carissa lanceolata]]''||bush plum, conkerberry
|-
|''[[Citrus glauca]]''||desert lime
|-
|''[[Enchylaena tomentosa]]''||ruby saltbush
|-
|''[[Ficus platypoda]]''||desert fig
|-
|''[[Marsdenia australis]]''||doubah, bush banana
|-
|''[[Owenia acidula]]''||emu apple
|-
|''[[Santalum acuminatum]]''||quandong, desert or sweet quandong
|-
|''[[Santalum murrayanum]]''||bitter quandong
|-
|''[[Solanum centrale]]''||akudjura, Australian desert raisin, bush tomato
|-
|''[[Solanum cleistogarnum]]''||[[bush tomato]]
|-
|''[[Solanum ellipticum]]''||[[bush tomato]]
|}

====Vegetables====
{|
|-
|''[[Calandrinia balonensis]]''||parakeelya
|-
|''[[Ipomoea costata]]''||bush potato
|-
|''[[Vigna lanceolata]]''||pencil yams
|-
|''[[Lepidium]]'' spp.||peppercresses
|-
|''[[Portulaca intraterranea]]''||large pigweed
|}

====Seeds====
{|
|-
|''[[Acacia aneura]]''||mulga
|-
|''[[Acacia colei]]''||
|-
|''[[Acacia coriacea]]''||dogwood
|-
|''[[Acacia holosericea]]''||strap wattle
|-
|''[[Acacia kempeana]]''||witchetty bush
|-
|''[[Acacia murrayana]]''||
|-
|''[[Acacia pycnantha]]''||
|-
|''[[Acacia retinodes]]''||
|-
|''[[Acacia tetragonophylla]]''||dead finish seed 
|-
|''[[Acacia victoriae]]''||gundabluey, prickly wattle
|-
|''[[Brachychiton populneus]]''||kurrajong
|-
|''[[Panicum decompositum]]''||native millet
|-
|''[[Portulaca oleracea]]''||pigweed
|-
|''[[Triodia (plant genus)|Triodia]]'' spp.||commonly known as spinifex
|}

====Spices====
{|
|''[[Eucalyptus polybractea]]''||blue-leaved mallee
|}

====Insects in gall====

*[[Bush coconut]]
*[[Mulga apple]]

===Eastern Australia===
Subtropical rainforests of New South Wales to the wet tropics of Northern Queensland.

====Fruit====
[[File:Acronychia acidula1.jpg|thumb|[[Acronychia acidula|Lemon aspen]]]]
[[File:Citrus australasica red whole.jpg|thumb|[[Finger lime]]]]
{|
|-
|''[[Acronychia acidula]]''||lemon aspen
|-
|''[[Acronychia oblongifolia]]''||white aspen
|-
|''[[Antidesma bunius]]''||Herbet River cherry
|-
|''[[Archirhodomyrtus beckleri]]''||rose myrtle
|-
|''[[Austromyrtus dulcis]]''||midyim
|-
|''[[Carpobrotus glaucescens]]''||pigface
|-
|''[[Citrus australasica]]''||finger lime
|-
|''[[Citrus australis]]''||dooja
|-
|''[[Davidsonia jerseyana]]''||New South Wales Davidson's plum
|-
|''[[Davidsonia johnsonii]]''||smooth davidsonia
|-
|''[[Davidsonia pruriens]]''||North Queensland Davidson's plum
|-
|''[[Diploglottis campbellii]]''||small-leaf tamarind
|-
|''[[Eupomatia laurina]]''||bolwarra
|-
|''[[Ficus coronata]]''||sandpaper fig
|-
|''[[Melodorum leichhardtii]]''||zig zag vine
|-
|''[[Pandanus tectorius]]''||Hala fruit
|-
|''[[Pleiogynium timoriense]]''||Burdekin plum
|-
|''[[Podocarpus elatus]]''||Illawarra plum
|-
|''[[Planchonella australis]]''||black apple
|-
|''[[Rubus moluccanus]]''||broad-leaf bramble
|-
|''[[Rubus probus]]''||Atherton raspberry
|-
|''[[Rubus rosifolius]]''||rose-leaf bramble
|-
|''[[Syzygium australe]]''||brush cherry
|-
|''[[Syzygium luehmannii]]''||riberry
|-
|''[[Syzygium paniculatum]]''||magenta lilly pilly
|-
|''[[Ximenia americana]]''||yellow plum
|-
|}

====Vegetable====
{|
|-
|''[[Apium prostratum]]''||sea celery
|-
|''[[Commelina cyanea]]''||scurvy weed
|-
|''[[Geitonoplesium cymosum]]''||scrambling lily
|-
|''[[Tetragonia tetragonoides]]''||warrigal greens
|-
|''[[Trachymene incisa]]''||wild parsnip
|-
|''[[Urtica incisa]]''||scrub nettle
|}

====Spices====
[[File:Backhousia citriodora.jpg|thumb|[[Lemon myrtle]]]]
{|
|-
|''[[Alpinia caerulea]]''||native ginger
|-
|''[[Backhousia citriodora]]''||[[lemon myrtle]]
|-
|''[[Backhousia myrtifolia]]''||[[cinnamon myrtle]]
|-
|''[[Backhousia anisata]]''||[[aniseed myrtle]]
|-
|''[[Leptospermum liversidgei]]''||lemon tea-tree
|-
|''[[Prostanthera incisa]]''||cut-leaf mintbush, native thyme
|-
|''[[Smilax glyciphylla]]''||sweet sarsaparilla
|-
|''[[Syzygium anisatum]]''||aniseed myrtle
|-
|''[[Tasmannia stipitata]]''||Dorrigo pepper (leaf and pepperberry)
|}

====Nut====
{|
|-
|''[[Araucaria bidwillii]]''||bunya nut
|-
|''[[Athertonia diversifolia]]''||Atherton almond
|-
|''[[Macadamia integrifolia]]''||[[macadamia]] nut
|-
|''[[Macadamia tetraphylla]]''||bush nut
|-
|''[[Sterculia quadrifida]]''||peanut tree
|}

===Temperate Australia===
Warm and cool temperate zones of southern Australia, including [[Tasmania]], [[South Australia]], [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] and the highlands of New South Wales.

====Tasmania====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!'''Scientific name'''
!'''Common name'''
!'''Edible part of plant'''
!'''Use'''
!'''Details'''
!'''Citation'''
|-
|[[Acacia  mearnsii]]
|Black Wattle
|Bark
|Tea
|Bark can be soaked to make a tea, which is claimed to be good for indigestion.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au">{{cite web | title=Bush Foods | website=Wildseed Tasmania | url=http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/bush_food.php | access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kennedia prostrata]]
|Running Postman's 
|Flowers
|Garnishs
|The nectar from the flowers is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Lomandra longifolia]]
|Sagg
|Flower
|Garnish
|Young leaves, flowers and seeds are ideal
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Wahlenbergia multicaulis]]
|Bushy Bluebell
|Flower
|Garnish
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Wahlenbergia stricta]]
|
|Flower
|Garnish
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Xanthorrhoea australis]]
|Grass Tree
|Flower
|Garnish
|The nectar from the flowers is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Viola hederacea]]
|Wild Violet
|Flower
|Salad
|The flowers are edible and can be used in salads.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Astroloma humifusum]]
|Native Cranberry
|Fruity loops 
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Astroloma pinifolium]]
|Pine Heath
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Billardiera longiflora]]
|Mountain Blue Berry
|Fruit
|Fruit
|Edible fruit when ripe
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Billardiera scandens]]
|Apple Dumplings
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Coprosma nitida]]
|Mountain Currant
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Coprosma quadrifida]]
|Native Currant
|Fruit
|Fruit
|Edible berries – raw or stewed
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Dianella brevicaulis]]
|Shortstem Flaxlily
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Dianella revoluta]]
|Spreading Flaxlily
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Dianella tasmanica]]
|Blue Flax Lily
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The berries can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Chenopodium nutans| Chenopodium nutans (Syn Einardia nutans, Rhagodia nutans)]]
|Climbing Saltbush
|Fruit
|Fruit
|The fruit can be consumed, when ripe.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Solanum laciniatum]]
|Kangaroo Apple
|Fruit
|Fruit
|Only the very ripe fruit is edible....Note: the green fruit is POISONOUS.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Tasmannia lanceolata]]
|Native Pepper
|Fruit
|Fruit
|If the berries are dried, they can be consumed.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acmena smithii]]
|Lilly Pilly
|Fruit
|Jam/compote
|Berries can either be eaten raw or made into a jam or compote.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Carpobrotus rossii]]
|Native Pigface
|Fruit
|Jam/compote
|The ripe fruit eaten raw or made into a compote.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acacia mearnsii]]
|Black Wattle
|Gum
|Condiment
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Eucalyptus gunnii]]
|Cider Gum
|Gum
|Condiment
|The gum is sweet and edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Lomandra longifolia]]
|Sagg
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|Consume the young leaves
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Phragmites australis]]
|Common Reed
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Suaeda australis]]
|Seablite
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Tasmannia lanceolata]]
|Native Pepper
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|Dry the leaves before consumption.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Xanthorrhoea australis]]
|Grass Tree
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|The young leaves can be consumed.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Ozothamnus obcordatus]]
|Native Thyme
|Leaf/shoot
|Seasoning
|When the leaves are dried, their taste resembled that of thyme. It can be used as a seasoning.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Correa alba]]
|White Correa
|Leaf/shoot
|Tea
|The leave may be used to prepare a tea.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Hardenbergia violacea]]
|Sarsparilla Vine
|Leaf/shoot
|Tea
|In order to make a tea, the leaves need to be initially boiled, then dried.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Kunzea ambigua]]
|White Kunzea
|Leaf/shoot
|Tea
|A refreshing tea can be made from the dried leaves.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Atriplex cinerea]]
|Grey Saltbush
|Leaf/shoot
|Vegetable
|In order to remove some of the salt from the leaves, the leaves need to be thoroughly soaked in water. After rinsing, the leaves can be used as a type of vegetable / salad.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Tetragonia implexicoma]]
|Bower Spinach
|Leaf/shoot
|Vegetable
|The leaves are edible in both a raw or cooked state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[ Triglochin|Cycnogeton procerum (formerly Triglochin procera)]]
|Water Ribbons
|Leaf/shoot
|Vegetable
|The leaves are edible in both a raw or cooked state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Typha domingensis]]
|Bulrush
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|Consume the young shoots from the plant.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Typha orientalis]]
|Broad-leafed Bulrush
|Leaf/shoot
|Salad
|Consume the young shoots from the plant.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Arthropodium milleflorum]]
|Vanilla Lily
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The tubers can be consumed in both a raw or roasted state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Arthropodium strictum]]
|Chocolate Lily
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The tubers can be consumed in both a raw or roasted state. NOTE: the chocolate scented flowers are NOT edible, however.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Bolboschoenus caldwellii]]
|Sea Clubsedge
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The roots are edible once they have been roasted.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Bulbine bulbosa]]
|Golden Rock Lily
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The bulb of the plant can be consumed after it has been roasted. It is particularly nutritious.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Burchardia umbellata]]
|Milk Maids
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The tuber of the plant can be consumed once it has been roasted.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Clematis aristata]]
|Travellers Joy
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|Once the taproot has been roasted, it is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Clematis microphylla]]
|Small Leaf Clematis
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|Once the taproot has been roasted, it is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Convolvulus angustissimus]]
|Pink Moonflower
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|Once the taproot has been roasted, it is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Eleocharis sphacelata]]
|Tall Rush Spike
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The roots are edible
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Geranium solanderi]]
|Southern cranesbill
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|Once the taproot has been roasted, it is edible.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Microseris walteri]]
|Yam Daisy, [[Murnong]]
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The tubers can be consumed in both a raw or roasted state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Phragmites australis]]
|Common Reed
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Xanthorrhoea australis]]
|Grass Tree
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|The young roots are edible
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Typha domingensis]]
|Bulrush
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Typha orientalis]]
|Broad-leafed Bulrush
|Root/tuber/bulb
|Vegetable
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Dodonaea viscosa]]
|Native Hop
|Seed
|Alcohol
|Seeds can be used instead of hops to brew beer
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acacia melanoxylon]]
|Blackwood
|Seed
|Nuts
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acacia retinodes]]
|Wirilda
|Seed
|Nuts
|Both the seeds and green pods can be consumed.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acacia sophorae]]
|Boobyalla/Coast Wattle
|Seed
|Nuts
|The seeds can be consumed in both the raw or roasted state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Brachychiton populneus]]
|Kurrajong (Tas prov)
|Seed
|Nuts
|The seeds of this plant are particularly nutritious. The seeds can be consumed in both the raw or roasted state.
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Lomandra longifolia]]
|Sagg
|Seed
|Nuts
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Phragmites australis]]
|Common Reed
|Seed
|Nuts
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Acacia mearnsii]]
|Black Wattle
|Seed
|Nuts
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Sarcocornia quinqueflora]]
|Samphire or Glasswort
|Stem
|Fibre
|Consumption of the younger stems of the plant is suggested
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|-
|[[Phragmites australis]]
|Common Reed
|Stem
|Fibre
|
|<ref name="wildseedtasmania.com.au"/>
|}

====Fruit====

{|
|-
|''[[Acrotriche depressa]]''||native currant
|-
|''[[Billardiera cymosa]]''||sweet apple-berry
|-
|''[[Billardiera longiflora]]''||purple apple-berry
|-
|''[[Billardiera scandens]]''||common apple-berry
|-
|''[[Carpobrotus rossii]]''||karkalla<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sgaonline.org.au/pigface-carpobrotus-glaucescens/|title=Edible Pigface Australian - Sustainable Gardening Australia|website=Sustainable Gardening Australia}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Exocarpus cupressiformis]]''||native cherry
|-
|''[[Gaultheria hispida]]''||snow berry
|-
|''[[Kunzea pomifera]]''||muntries
|-
|''[[Rubus parvifolius]]''||pink-flowered native raspberry
|-
|''[[Sambucus gaudichaudiana]]''||white elderberry
|-
|''[[Enchylaena tomentosa]]'' ||ruby saltbush<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/plant-index/australian-native-plants/enchylaena-tomentosa/|title=''Enchylaena tomentosa'' - Ruby Saltbush - Nurseries Online|date=10 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
|}

====Seed====
[[File:Aclo 001 lhp.jpg|thumb|Seeds of ''[[Acacia longifolia]]'']]
{|
|-
|''[[Acacia longifolia]]''|| golden rods
|-
|''[[Acacia sophorae]]''|| coast wattle (All ''[[Acacia]]'' seeds can be ground into a bush flour.)
|}

====Spice====
{|
|-
|''[[Eucalyptus dives]]''|| peppermint gum
|-
|''[[Eucalyptus olida]]''|| strawberry gum
|-
|''[[Eucalyptus globulus]]''|| tasmanian blue gum
|-
|''[[Mentha australis]]''|| river mint
|-
|''[[Prostanthera rotundifolia]]''|| native thyme
|-
|''[[Tasmannia lanceolata]]''|| mountain pepper
|-
|''[[Tasmannia stipitata]]''|| Dorrigo pepper
|}

====Vegetable====
{|
|-
|''[[Apium insulare]]''|| Flinders Island celery
|-
|''[[Atriplex cinerea]]''|| grey saltbush
|-
|''[[Burchardia umbellata]]''|| milkmaids
|-
|''[[Eustrephus latifolius]]''||wombat berry
|-
|''[[Microseris walteri]]''|| [[murnong]]
|}

====Leaf====

{|
|-
| [[Neptune's necklace]] (the beady seaweed) – the beads are pierced to get rid of the salt water before being cooked<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bushcraftoz.com/forums/showthread.php?8225-Neptune-s-necklace-Seaweed-(Hormosira-banksii)|title=Neptune's necklace - Seaweed (''Hormosira banksii'')|date=8 April 2023 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Warrigal greens]] – tastes like spinach, pest-resistant and spreads easily
|-
| [[Coast sword-sedge]] – the leaf bases can be eaten raw or roasted<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sercul.org.au/docs/bushtucker/BushTuckerPlantFactSheets.pdf |title=Coastal Sword Sedge |website=sercul.org.au |access-date=24 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326210331/http://www.sercul.org.au/docs/bushtucker/BushTuckerPlantFactSheets.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://scnaturesearch.com.au/plant/Coast%20Sword-sedge |title=Coast Sword-sedge {{!}} ''Lepidosperma gladiatum'' |website=scnaturesearch.com.au |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref>
|}

==In media==
[[Malcolm Douglas (documentary maker)|Malcolm Douglas]] was one of the first TV presenters to show how to 'live off the land' in the Australian Outback. Major [[Les Hiddins]], a retired [[Australian Army]] soldier popularised the idea of bush tucker as a food resource. He presented a TV series called ''The Bush Tucker Man''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://bushtuckerman.com.au/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=Bush Tucker Man |language=en-AU}}</ref> on the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] TV network in the late 1980s. In the series, Hiddins demonstrated his research for [[NORFORCE]] in identifying foods which might sustain or augment army forces in the northern [[Australian Outback]].

Starting in 2002, ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!]]'' became notorious for its "Bushtucker Trials", some of which involved eating meat-based bush tucker (such as mealworms, locusts and kangaroo testicles) to win meals for the camp.

In early 2003, the first cooking show featuring authentic Australian foods and called ''[[Dining Downunder]]'' was produced by [[Vic Cherikoff]] and Bailey Park Productions of [[Toronto]], Canada. This was followed by the [[Special Broadcasting Service]] (SBS) production of [[Message Stick]] with Aboriginal chef, [[Mark Olive]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-20 |title=Cooking with culture: How Mark Olive found fame in food |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/feature/cooking-culture-how-mark-olive-found-fame-food |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=NITV |language=en}}</ref>

In 2008, [[Ray Mears]] made a [[Reality television#Outdoor survival|survival]] television series called ''[[Ray Mears Goes Walkabout]]'', which focused on the history of survival in Australia with a focus on bush tucker.<ref>{{Citation |title=Ray Mears Goes Walkabout |date=2008-01-01 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3571244/ |type=Documentary |access-date=2022-09-07}}</ref> 

In the TV survival series ''[[Survivorman]]'', host and narrator [[Les Stroud]] spent time in the Australian outback.  After successfully finding and eating a [[witchetty grub]] raw he found many more and cooked them, stating they were much better cooked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=sperkins-pom |date=2012-11-21 |title=Les Stroud on Eating for Survival |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/les-stroud-eating-survival/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=Outside Online |language=en-US}}</ref>  After cooking in hot embers of his fire, he removed the head and the hind of the grub and squeezed out thick yellow liquid before eating.

The [[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]] documentary series ''[[Food Safari]]'' featured bush tucker in an episode that went to air in 2013.<ref name=sbsfood/><ref>{{cite web | title=Food Safari – A Look At Bush Tucker | website=SBS Food | date=4 March 2013 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/video/20651587800/Food-Safari-A-Look-At-Bush-Tucker | access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Australia|Food}}
*[[Australian Aboriginal sweet foods]]
*[[Australian cuisine]]
*[[Bush bread]]
*[[Bushfood industry history]]
*[[Bushmeat]]
*[[Bush medicine]]
*[[Damper (food)|Damper]]
*[[Indigenous Australian food groups]]
*[[Country food]], equivalent term in Canada used to refer to food eaten by the [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples of Canada]]
*[[Medieval cuisine]], cuisine of the Middle Ages in Europe
*[[Pre-Columbian cuisine]], ancient cuisine of the Americas

==References==

===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* Bruneteau, Jean-Paul, ''Tukka, Real Australian Food'', {{ISBN|0-207-18966-8}}.
* Cherikoff, Vic, ''The Bushfood Handbook'', {{ISBN|0-646-15496-6}}.
* Isaacs, Jennifer, ''Bushfood'', Weldons, Sydney.
* Kersh, Jennice and Raymond, ''Edna's Table'', {{ISBN|0-7336-0539-7}}.
* Low, Tim, ''Wild Food Plants of Australia'', {{ISBN|978-0-207-14383-0}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web | title=Australian Bushfoods | date=31 May 2020 | url=http://ausbushfoods.com/}} (Supersedes [http://ausbushfoods.com/bushfoodsonline/index.htm Australian Bushfoods magazine site])

*{{cite book|url=https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/12-066.pdf|title=Australian Native Food Industry Stocktake|first=Michael|last= Clarke|date=August 2012|publisher= Australian Government. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation|isbn=978-1-74254-409-0| issn=1440-6845|series=Australian Native Foods Industry Stocktake, Publication No. 12/066, Project No. PRJ-005855}}
*{{cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276848464|last=Clarke, Philip|date=2007|title= Aboriginal People and Their Plants}} Long abstract; full text available on request.
* {{cite web | title=CSIRO CSE Research | website=Australian Native Foods  | url=https://www.ausbushfoods.com/bushfoodsonline/reports/Fact%20Sheets/CSIRO%20CSE%20Research%20-%20Australian%20Native%20Foods.htm|date= 27 August 2007}} 
* {{cite web | title=Indigenous Weather Knowledge: Walabunnba - Wantangka - hot weather | website= Bureau of Meteorology | url=http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/walabunnba/wantangka.shtml }} Bush Bean (Wakalpirri) and Bush Plum.

*{{cite book|url=https://www.ausbushfoods.com/bushfoodsonline/reports/Cultivation/cult_wildharvest_Aboriginal_Communities_04.pdf|first=Geoff|last=Miers|title=Cultivation and sustainable wild harvest of Bushfoods by Aboriginal Communities in Central Australia: A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation|publisher=Australian Government. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation|
isbn= 0-642-58690-X |issn =1440-6845|series=RIRDC Web-only Publication No W03/124, RIRDC Project No CLC-1A |date=July 2004}} 

{{Australian cuisine}}
{{Indigenous Australians}}
{{Natural resources}}
{{Non-timber forest products}}
{{cuisine}}

[[Category:Bushfood| ]]
[[Category:Flora of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Aboriginal bushcraft]]
[[Category:Indigenous cuisine]]
[[Category:Foraging]]
[[Category:Fauna of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian outback]]
[[Category:Rural culture in Oceania]]