When I think of home (Byron Bay), I instantly think of buttery macadamias, zingy finger limes, tarty davidson plums and zesty lemon myrtle. But what about the other 5000 or so native Australian food species? The crazy thing is, we’re much more familiar with exotic varieties from abroad like acai and goji berries than the rainforest edibles and bush foods growing right under our noses. Take for instance the Kakadu plum, grown in our Top End. It’s the richest known source of vitamin C in the world! Yup, more than oranges (in fact 100 times more!) and higher in antioxidants than the much more famous blueberry.

Last week I had the privilege and pleasure of hosting a fundraising dinner for the “Boomerang Festival”, an annual event that celebrates indigenous art and culture here in Byron Bay. This provided me with opportunity to have a chat with local Aboriginal Community Development Officer Rob Appo about the abundance of native food in this area and, in preparation for the dinner, go foraging for native fruits and nuts that I’m embarrassed to say I’d never even seen before.

We couldn’t help but question how is it that Australia is often considered to have an identity crisis when it comes to food, when there is 50,000 years of indigenous gastronomy to draw upon? Furthermore, considering our current obsession with #superfoods, and focus on provenance and sustainability, why are we going as far as the Amazon to source them, when we have our very own supercharged rainforest and bush foods right here in our own backyard? What’s more, not only are native crops more suited to thriving in Australia’s harsh climatic conditions (making them more sustainable), they’re absolutely delicious!

Fortunately, I think the tide is turning. Chefs and foodies are rediscovering native bush foods and incorporating them into their cuisine in a way that’s not just “novelty.” At a time when food is at the forefront of social and traditional media, these tastemakers have a major influence on what consumers eat too. Harvest chef Bret Cameron and Three Blue Ducks chef/co-owner Darren Robertson said the native limes they tasted while foraging for the Boomerang dinner were so incredible they “lost their shit!”. It’s fair to say they’re excited. And so am I!

So how does bush food become mainstream? Rob says it comes down to supply chains. Macadamia farmers have been incredibly successful in farming this native nut commercially, especially here in Byron Bay, and there could certainly be more focus on doing this with other foods like finger lime and Davidson plum. But importantly, this needs to be achieved by collaborating with local indigenous communities who as the original custodians of this country, offer thousands of years of skill and knowledge. This is particularly important for wild, poisonous and elusive varieties and rainforest foods that can’t necessarily be scaled to meet market demands. Perhaps, it will force us to eat truly seasonally according to Australia’s unique climate rather than a concept of four seasons borrowed from the northern hemisphere; and to only take what we need. This is sourcing locally and being truly sustainable. What an opportunity! Perhaps there’s never been a more important time to acknowledge, embrace and celebrate our culinary roots.