Spanning 65,000 years, this book provides a history of food in Australia from its beginnings, with the arrival of the first peoples and their stewardship of the land, to a present where the production and consumption of food is fraught with anxieties and competing priorities. It describes how food production in Australia is subject to the constraints of climate, water, and soil, leading to centuries of unsustainable agricultural practices post-colonization. Australian food history is also the story of its xenophobia and the immigration policies pursued, which continue to undermine the image of Australia as a model multicultural society. This history of Australian food ends on a positive note, however, as Indigenous peoples take increasing control of how their food is interpreted and marketed.
A celebration of Australian cuisine like never before -- 350 recipes showcasing the rich diversity of its landscapes and its people. Australia is a true melting pot of cultures and this is reflected in its cooking. As an island of indigenous peoples alongside a global panoply of immigrants with different culinary influences and traditions, its foodways are ripe for exploration. As well as the regional flora and fauna that make up bush tucker, there are dishes from all over the world that have been adopted and adapted to become Australia's own -- making this recipe collection relevant to home cooks everywhere.
Tim Low has provided a truly reliable guide to our edible flora, making identification easy. Thus it is a perfect companion for bushwalkers, naturalists, scientists and, with emphasis on wild food cuisine, gourmets. Low describes more than 180 plants - from the most tasty and significant plant foods of southern and eastern Australia to the more important and spectacular inland and tropical foods. Distribution maps are provided with each description plus notes on how these plants were used in the past and can be used today. Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs and line drawings there is also a guide to poisonous and non-poisonous plants, and information on introduced food plants, the nutrients found in wild food plants, on bush survival, and how to forage for and cook with wild plants.
Take a culinary adventure to 'the land down under' with Good Food From Australia! From the famous Vegemite sandwich to grilling on the barbecue, the authors provide a generous collection of over 150 genuine Australian favourites. Start off with Egg and Bacon Pie (what real Australian men eat), then sample some hearty Pocket Steak Melbourne or Dandenong Rabbit Pie, with a slice of Victorian Salad, and top it all off with a slice of Maisie's Chocolate Peppermint Cake. You can even learn to drink a 'cuppa tea' and a beer like a real Aussie! If you enjoy cooking, and like to experiment in the kitchen then this is the book for you.
"Australia's food & nutrition 2012 highlights the key components of the food and nutrition system. It describes the system from 'paddock to plate' and how food choices affect our health and the environment."--Publisher website.
'It deserves a place in every Australian kitchen' - Delicious Magazine Features a foreword from the bestselling author of DARK EMU, Bruce Pascoe. This gorgeous illustrated, informative and contemporary cookbook and compendium of native foods will show you how to create truly Australian food and drinks at home. With a few small adjustments and a little experimentation you can prepare delicious food that is better for the Australian environment, is more sustainable and celebrates the amazing ingredients that are truly local. Warndu Mai (Good Food) contains information about seasonal availability, hints, tips and over 80 illustrated and accessible recipes showcasing Australian native foods, using ingredients such as Kakadu plum, native currants, finger lime and pepperberry to create unique dishes and treats - from wattleseed brownies, emu egg sponge cake and bunya nut pesto to native berry, cherry and lime cordial, strawberry gum pavlova and kangaroo carpaccio. It's a must-have for every kitchen.
This book considers the ability and capacity of the food supply system in Australia to provide food security for the ever-increasing domestic and international population in the face of growing challenges in production, resource supply and failures within the food system itself. Although Australia is a net food exporting country, domestic food insecurity exists and will increase as food prices rise in the coming decades. An overview of the food supply system highlights the main challenges that are determining the future. Many of these challenges can be resolved by the Australian government, but others are in the hands of global governance to which Australia can only adapt. This book sheds light on the challenges and discusses the prospects for developing more sustainable and resilient future food systems in Australia. In addition, it covers food security and sovereignty issues under the heading of “food equity and access,” “food production, policy and trade,” and “impacts of land use planning on agriculture.” The unique features of the book include the following: • Most literature on food security pertains to developing countries. By way of contrast, this book explores food security in a developed nation (Australia) that seemingly should not have food security issues. The topics covered in the book are relevant to other developed nations with growing populations and resource management challenges. • The book chapters are written by specialists to paint a comprehensive picture of the political, social, economic and environmental issues that give rise to food insecurity, and the challenges these issues present to the security of the food system in coming decades. The overall organization of the book uses a theoretically informed and multi-disciplinary approach. This enables a critical and in-depth analysis of food security by outlining the key challenges as well as prospects for the development of more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. • The three principal topics in the book are dealt with by a multi-disciplinary team of authors in a way that teases out diverse points of view illustrating the complexity of food security. Author disciplines include health and nutrition, agriculture, ethics, social science, law, and practitioners managing food aid programs. • The book shows how food security relates to many technical, social and moral issues in society and how it is possible to develop successful programs to improve food security.
