I would like to blow away the myth perpetuated by a few food critics that Australians are not enthused about their home grown flavours, commonly referred to as bushfood or bush tucker.<\/p>\n
I believe it to be much more rewarding if we talk about the specific nuts, fruits herbs and spices derived from Australian native plants rather than the vague legacies and terminologies of TV survival shows.<\/p>\n
However the critics are right to claim that these herbs and spices like lemon myrtle do not deserve any special treatment just because they are native. But should these herbs and spices have taste qualities which are unique, exciting, evocative and acceptable to the palate then this is a very different culinary proposition.<\/p>\n
Here at Tumbeela through our tour groups we have introduced hundreds of Australians to a range of native plant foods including our flagship product Lemon Myrtle.\u00a0 We are constantly amazed to find that visitors in 2013 show no greater knowledge of native plant foods than did visitors back in 2000, despite native products being in the market place for a decade or so.<\/p>\n
It dawned on me that perhaps \u00a0the critics are right in claiming that Australians hold little enthusiasm for native flavours\u2014but not for the reasons they imply.\u00a0 The fact is most Australians have never eaten, tasted or seen food products derived from native plants.<\/p>\n
So if there is a lack of enthusiasm for native flavours it is not because they have failed the public taste test but because they have never been tried.<\/p>\n
At Tumbeela\u00a0 \u00a0our visitors taste and smell lemon and aniseed myrtle, mountain pepper and a range of other native flavours and, almost to a person, experience these flavours for the first time.<\/p>\n
While not all flavours are loved by all of the people some are more loved than others\u2014\u201cbut I\u2019ll be buggered\u201d is the response we hear the loudest.\u00a0 There is no lack of enthusiasm<\/p>\n
I think the critics have got it wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I would like to blow away the myth perpetuated by a few food critics that Australians are not enthused about their home grown flavours, commonly referred to as bushfood or bush tucker. I believe it to be much more rewarding … Continue reading