Australian and Aboriginal Cuisine

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Australian and Aboriginal cuisine is an amazing combination of the foods prepared and eaten by not only the Aborigines, the natives who have lived in Australia for about 50,000 to 60,000 years, but also those of the British colonists and the settlers who stayed behind after English colonization was over, as well as a more recent influence of East Asian and Mediterranean immigrants.

Indigenous Australians, over the millennia,  have developed a hunter-gatherer diet, a very unique style of cuisine known as “bush tucker”; with the use of available ingredients such as indigenous fauna, flora, and wild meats like kangaroo, alligator, snake, and even grubs and insects. When the British came, they brought with them farm animals such as cattle and sheep, and they also introduced wheat flour – all of which soon became staples in Australian meals and eating habits.

Australian and Aboriginal CuisineAfter World War II is when Australian cuisine took on another influence, that being the foods and spices preferences of the East Asian and Mediterranean migrants who settled there, making what we know of today as Australian cuisine as a truly multicultural blend of some very different ethnic cultures.

So here you will find the incredibly unique and widely varied recipes, as well as resources to prepare them, including some authentic Aboriginal “Bush Tucker”, all of which will surely make your ethnic adventure a memorable one, into the world of …

Australian and Aboriginal Cuisine

Please note: For your convenience, you can click on the recipes listed below and be taken directly to a page with just that one recipe on it, in printer-friendly format.

You are certainly welcomed to read through this whole page, several of the recipes are here as well, and there are some videos and pertinent information on background, history, customs, special notes, etc., so it is well worth the read.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order:

Australian Meat Pie

Baked Barramundi with Spicy Dressing

Bush Tucker Char-Grilled Kangaroo and Veggies

Orange Ginger Shrimp on the Barbie

Tim Tam Brownies

When talking about traditional Australian and Aboriginal cuisine, you have to mention the immensely popular, nationwide, Meat Pie, Australian style.

Meat pie is, of course, made in many different ways, in many different cultures. But you will not find a meat pie anywhere in the world with quite the same combination of sumptuous flavors as this one, which we consider as the absolute best Australian Meat Pie recipe of all.

Australian Meat Pie

australian meat pie 2

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
  2. In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat, and sauté the ground beef and onions until meat is browned and the onions are translucent and fragrant.
  3. Add 3/4 cup of the water, bouillon cubes (crush the cubes first, oregano, nutmeg, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the skillet, and cook for 15 minutes.
  5. In a small mixing bowl, stir the flour with the remaining 1/4 cup of water until it is a smooth paste, then add the paste into the meat mixture, stir well to combine thoroughly, then remove skillet from the burner and allow to cool.
  6. Grease a 9” pie dish, and line it with one sheet of puff pastry.
  7. Now spoon or ladle in the cooled filling meat mixture, distributing evenly.
  8. Whisk the egg with 2 tbsp. milk, until a little frothy, then brush the exposed edges of the pastry sheet with the milky egg froth.
  9. Place another pastry sheet top, and press the edges down with a fork to seal the top and bottom sheets together. Trim any excess edges away, and then brush the entire top with the rest of the milky egg froth.
  10. Place pie in your pre-heated over and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is becoming golden colored, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius) and bake another 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a nice rich, deep golden brown.
  11. This dish goes great with salads, almost any vegetable side dish, and/or fried potatoes.

Next up, let’s go outback, deep into the bush, for a taste of authentic Aboriginal Bush Tucker food. We’re going to dine on some grilled Kangaroo!

Yep.

A KANGAROO

Kangaroo.

Kangaroo is a very nutritious meat, lean, low in fat and cholesterol. It is a quite “gamey” meat, many people liken it to a cross between venison and buffalo, but less fatty than buffalo, while still juicier than venison.

Of course, the Aborigines would have cooked this meal over an open fire, and if you live somewhere it’s allowed and have the capacity to do so, by all means have at it. But prepared over a good, hardwood charcoal grille, or a propane grille with hardwood smoking chips will give you the same delicious and unique Australian and Aboriginal Cuisine experience.

Aboriginal Bush Tucker Char-Grilled Kangaroo Steak and Vegetables

kangaroo steak and vegetables grilled

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

 

Directions:
  1. Slice your kangaroo meat into thick sliced fillets.
  2. Rub each fillet all over with the native bush river mint (or spearmint), and then season them on both sides with bush pepper and salt.
  3. Grille the fillets to your desired level of doneness.
  4. Chop the sweet potato and zucchini into thick chunks, leave the broccoli stalks whole, and grille them for about 2 minutes per side, until nicely charred and tender.
  5. In a small mixing bowl, blend together the mustard, ground wattle seeds and honey, then drizzle the mixture over the char-grilled kangaroo fillets and vegetables.
  6. Arrange the veggies and fillets in an attractive fashion on serving plates, and Chow down!

Whenever traditional Australian dish recipes are discussed, the world over, the mention of “Shrimp on the Barbie” comes up, and everyone has a good idea, if not a personal experience, about what that means – exceptionally delicious, whopping sized prawns, seasoned and grilled to perfection.

So yummy!

Here is one of the best Australian grilled shrimp recipes we’ve come across, so help yourself to a trip to the barbeque pit “down under”.

Australian Shrimp on the Barbie with Orange Ginger Zest

Prawns on a barbie

Ingredients:
  • 12 Jumbo Prawns, shelled and deveined, heads, legs and tails left on
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tbsp. sherry
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 2 green onions, white part and first half of the green parts, minced
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
  • A little freshly ground Australian bush pepper and salt mixture, to taste
Directions:
  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, and sherry, then grate the teaspoon of orange zest into the bowl, followed by the fresh squeezed orange juice, then grate in the orange zest, and then the minced green onions. Grind in also some bush pepper and salt mixture, to taste. Not too much, or it will overwhelm the delicate flavor of the shrimp meat.
  2. In a large resealable plastic bag, insert the prawns, then pour in the seasoning/marinating mixture. Seal the bag and allow prawns to marinate for a couple hours before grilling.
  3. Heat your grille to medium high heat, and lightly oil the grilling rack.
  4. Remove the prawns from the bag, reserve the marinade, and grille them for just 2 to 3 minutes each side, until a bright orange-red color, basting frequently until done.

 

How about a real sweet-tooth satisfying treat, Australian style? Definitely among the most popular Australian snack foods is the Tim Tam – a sweet, biscuit-textured cookie of sorts, that comes in many different flavors.

They are great by themselves, but often Australians like to use them in a recipe that adorns them with more ingredients, as in this following recipe.

Tim Tam Brownies

tim tam brownies 2

Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup (120g) self-rising flour, sifted
  • 1-1/4 cups (285g) granulated white cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (180g) butter
  • 1 package (200g) of Tim Tams
Directions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 390F (180C).
  2. Line a cookie baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and flour, blending together thoroughly.
  4. Add in the vanilla, butter, and eggs, and whisk until well combined.
  5. Spread about 4 or 5 tbsp. of the brownie mixture all over the parchment paper tray lining, to create the brownie base.
  6. Now place your Tim Tams onto the tray, in 2 rows of equal numbers, fit snugly together.
  7. Pour the remaining mixture all over the tops of the Tim Tams, making sure they are all fully covered. If some spills over the outsides and ends of the rows, that’s ok.
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes – they should be lightly baked all through by then.
  9. Allow to cool for a bit, then cut into squares and serve.

And hey – if you just want to try some Tim Tams by themselves, here’s a twin pack offer where you can pick two flavors from a whole assortment of the most popular flavors, including “Original” chocolate, Chewy Caramel, Double Choc Vanilla, Coconut Cream, Peanut Butter, and lots more. You can Get Some Here.

Many of the more traditional Australian food recipes will call for the fish, barramundi. If you’ve never tasted this delicacy, but you like trout fish, then you will most likely appreciate the delicate flavor, yet firm texture of this fish.

Here’s one recipe with barramundi that is especially tasty.

Oven Baked Barramundi with Spiced Dressing

Oven Baked Barramundi with Spiced Dressing

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

For the Spicy Seasoning-
Directions:
  1. Put all the spicy seasoning ingredients into an electric blender or food processor, and blend into a dressing.
  2. Score the fillet cuts with a knife a few times on each side, coat both sides with half of the seasoning dressing, then set aside to marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.
  3. Heat your oven to 425F (220). Put your seasoned fillet cuts on a lightly oiled roasting pan, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the flesh is firm, the dressing has taken on a blackened appearance, and a toothpick plunged into the center of the flesh comes out clean.
  4. Serve with the rest of the spicy seasoning dressing. Side dishes that go well are couscous or rice, and just about any steamed or grilled vegetable.

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