Traditional Aboriginal Australian Food
A prominent food for the australian aboriginals is the bunya nut.
Traditional aboriginal australian food. Traces of blood and hair on the tools found match the megafauna species. Fat was important in australian aboriginal food in coastal communities small seafood like mussels and oysters were collected from rocky shores and mangrove habitats. A wide range of plants and animals were eaten by australia s aborigines and insect foods included certain ants grubs moths and beetles while streams provided fish and eels in some regions. Traditional diet and food preferences of australian aboriginal hunter gatherers philos trans r soc lond b biol sci.
One of the most well known traditional aboriginal foods is the australian witchetty grub which is actually native to central australia where the watarrka region is located. Regardless of where it was created today s australian offerings are perfect for those with a sweet tooth. Birds were eaten including waterfowl scrub fowl the cassowary and the jabiru. Other insects eaten by aboriginal australians include cicadas and caterpillars.
Similar to a chestnut in both taste and appearance this nut can be eaten raw or cooked. Other animals for example emu goanna and witchetty grubs are eaten by aboriginal australians. There is some evidence that the arrival of humans caused or contributed to their extinction. Fish and shellfish are culinary features of the australian coastal communities.
Similarly seeds from the dead finish are collected to make delicious seedcakes. In the mangroves there were also mangrove worms and mangrove crabs. However a traditional australian pie should be hand sized filled with mincemeat and gravy and topped with tomato sauce. The witchetty grub remains a common snack or meal addition in australia and is high in protein and nutrition.
A gourmet version with mashed potato and mushy peas is also popular but any other variant surely falls under a different category. Aboriginal people used a fair bit of energy so fat was very important in their diet. Aboriginal people may have arrived on the australian continent as early as 60 000 years ago. Remains of these animals have been found close to aboriginal artifacts.
At that time many species of megafauna still existed. Traditionally the aboriginal people have been known to turn this nut into a paste to be eaten or cooked on hot coals making bread.