I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Future Food Forum with Australian Native Flavours at the Maroochy Research Station with the Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries. Craig Squire gave a great talk re: versality and the wide appeal of Australian native foods. Craig is the chef/owner of Ochre restaurant in Cairns. This was of great interest to me because I have always been a little bit wary and I now look forward to experimenting with some of these products.
click on pic below to enlarge info courtesy of Ochre restaurant
Heather Smyth, a flavour chemist and sensory specialist, works as a research and development scientist. She at present is defining the unique flavour of Australian native foods and how best to describe them which will allow a more consistent and accurate representation of native plant foods.
Anne Osborne from the Australian Produce Company is a specialist in the supply of native Australian produce. Some year round Queensland grown Australian native produce incudes finger limes (green, red and pink), bunya nuts, riberries (lilly pilly fruit), lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, cinnamon myrtle, lemon aspen, davidsons plums and native tamarinds.
www.australianproduce.com.au
Another one of my favourite Queensland food producers would be Martha Shepherd from Galeru. Martha and her husband David grow their two native Australian rainforest fruits they have named rainberry and raincherry. Raincherries are fresh and clean on the palette with flavours reminiscent of tart cherry and plum, great in desserts or yoghurt. Rainberries have the intense natural spicy flavour of ginger and cloves. I think these would marry well with kangaroo, turkey or in a chutney.
www.galeru.com.au
This is me with my lemon myrtle lamingtons which went down a treat...
Finger Limes are one of my favourite native foods. They are awesome for salad dressings or garnish on canapes or with seafood. The tiny caviar-like beads explode in your mouth, they are fast becoming chefs favourite garnish or point of difference around the globe.
www.fingerlime.com or www.limeburst.com
Should you be wanting to grow some Australian native bush foods in your garden, contact Graeme White or Veronica Cougan as they own Witjuti Grub, a bush food nursery and are so knowledgable. They have most varieties from the list in the image above.
www.witjutigrub.com.au
Also in attendance was Celebrity Chef Matt Golinski, having whipped up 2 dishes: kangaroo meat garnished with Rainberries and Scallops with finger lime dressing, yummo. Matt is a regular chef on Ready Steady Cook and co-owns Noosa based catering business The Rolling Dolmade. Besides catering, the business also has a meal delivery service and is a producer of Mezze ,which is made from locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce and is sold at the Noosa Farmers Markets each Sunday. Well worth a trip to Noosa on a Sunday for his products. Or if you should be staying at Freestyle Escape he is one of our chefs available for intimate dinner parties at the house. www.freestyleescape.com.au, http://www.therollingdolmade.com.au
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