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 Background Information - Food preparation and processing
About half of the plant foods and most of the food derived from animals were prepared or processed in some way. Foods were often treated to make them more palatable, easily digestible, to lengthen their storage life, or to remove toxic substances. For example, cycad seeds were either ground to a flour and then placed in a bag and immersed in running water so the poison leached away, or the flour was allowed to ferment in still water over a period of a few months. The method used depended upon the availability of running water. Other plant foods, if not eaten raw, were either roasted, baked whole or processed into 'bread'. Gutted animals were roasted or baked in pit fires, with the skin on. Food was shared among all the members of the community, although the division of some large animals followed certain rules, which might have given preference to the hunter and his family. While many of Australia's Indigenous peoples now live in urban areas, people living in some rural areas include traditional methods when obtaining, preparing and processing their food. In addition, many Indigenous people are very familiar with the value of bush foods. In recent years, many companies run by Indigenous people offering bush foods cuisine have thrived. Europeans have made some limited use of bush food. Early European arrivals ate the fruit of the currant bush and the leaves of the native sarsaparilla vine to ward off scurvy. Some settlers made lillypilly and quandong jam. More recently, bush foods have become a popular component of Australian cuisine. It must be stressed, that under no circumstances should students be allowed to experiment with bush foods unless adequately supervised by a knowledgeable and competent adult. The table below lists some common examples of plant food from your local area:
Animal foods
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