Bush Tucker Food - Does your Country have these?
By jennybianca
@jennybianca (12912)
Australia
May 15, 2007 10:54pm CST
Most countries have what we call Bush Tucker Food, that is, foods native to their country.
Some countries have saved these natural foods & they are still available to eat.
I am interested in what would be your countries native food?
Please tell me also if the native food in your country is still grown & eaten.
In Australia, the Aboriginals used a wide variety of native foods, now called Bush Tucker Food.
Some of these foods are still available. The following is just a sample list:Bungwell Fern
Bunya Nut
Candle Nut
Lemon Myrtle
Moreton Bay Chestnut
Native Raspberry
Warrigal Greens
These foods were used for:
Bungwell Fern - The tuberous root was soaked, roasted, and ground on grinding stones to make flour, and then cooked to make "johnny cake"Candle Nut - The roasted nuts are delicious, and are reported to be nutritious and high in energy from the fat they contain. They can be used to tenderise meat.
Poisonous if eaten raw.
Lemon Myrtle - The leaves are used fresh or dried & ground and have a lemon & lime oil flavour. They can be used with baked fish
Here is a link which gives a lot more information:
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/bushtucker/
4 people like this
5 responses
@GardenGerty (169538)
• United States
17 May 07
Corn originally was a native grain here, if you combine a grain, like corn with a legume, like any kind of bean, you have a very nutritious complete protein. That is why we eat cornbread and beans. There are lots of native plants. I went out picking "Poke salad" when I was young, with grandma. Parts of it are poisonous, I believe. She said she used the berry juice for makeup as a young lady. On my grandparents 160 acres, you could find growing wild hickory nuts, persimmons, acorns, poke. I know those are all edible.Wild onions are good, but avoid the "crow poison" Garlic was great. Of course, wild roses produce rose hips, and they,and sumac berries, make tangy tea, high in vitamin C. Something we called "Sheep sorrel" or "sheep sours" and its larger cousin, wood sorrel. We picked and ate that as we went. There were sure to be wild grapes, muscadines, and how could I forget sand hill plums. This is interesting to read. They also had stocked fish ponds, and ate rabbit and squirrel.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169538)
• United States
18 May 07
Most of what I find online cautions not to eat any part of the pokeweed plant. It is all toxic to one degree or another. Maybe that is why they regarded it as a spring tonic, it probably caused them to clean out their sysems, if you know what I mean.
1 person likes this
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
17 May 07
I suspect a lot of this native food you mentioned was healthier than modern day food. Were your grandparents healthy & long lived?
Some of these foods I had heard of, but not Pike Salad.
2 people like this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
17 May 07
There are a lot of foods and herbs that grow wild around here:
May Apple; has a medicinal use as a purgative, and a stimulant.
Bugle; supposed to be good for migraine.
Dandelions; I once tried to cook some dandelion greens, but I didn't like them,they were too bitter. Some people say they like them
Wild Carrot
Cat Tails
Purselane; good mixed in salads or cooked in stews and chilis. High in vitamin C and tastes good.
Clover
Sassafrass
Ramps
These don't usually grow wild, but I think they are native plants.
Sunflower
Corn
Tomato
Squash
Mushrooms
There's a lot more, but this is all I can think of now.
2 people like this
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
17 May 07
You are very knowledgeable on your Countries native foods.
Your comment on the medicinal use of native plants is relevant. I believe scientists are only now realise the untapped potential of some of thse wild plants & herbs.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
16 May 07
This discussion is the typical example of why I love myLot so much. It teaches others about the cultures of other countries. I love reading about the various countries rites, rituals, eating habits, citizens etc. It's so diverse here with so many countries represented. Thanks for another great discussion and especially for the link as well. Very informative topic and link. Thanks again. I loved it.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
17 May 07
Thank you Bob. I too, find other cultures fascinating. Guess thats why I have been overseas five times.
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
20 May 07
Quite a hard one to answer actually as many of our staple foods aren't native here like potatoes for example. Corn and maize and barley have always been grown, and we've always kept animals like chickens and cows to be eaten. We also eat carrots cabbage Brussel Sprouts and other vegetables that grow here not sure if they are all native though.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
20 May 07
Oh we don't have such things in Singapore. It is surprising yes but we have no agriculture culture here - unless you count hydroponic vegetables lol. :P
We started off with entrepot trade, then we branch out in quite a few areas. Well, shan't bore you with history you can research for yourself if you are interested.
1 person likes this
