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Planning a trip to Australia? Wanting to experience some great food and wine? No problem! Australia is an immigrant country which means it offers a huge array or food styles and flavours. There is something to tantalise everyone’s taste buds.

To experience the real Australian food then you have to go back in time to when the Aboriginals were the only settlers in Australia.

Aborigines are the original inhabiters of Australia and the word “Aboriginal” means “Indigenous to Australia.” These are the people that lived in Australia before it was discovered by the British and Europeans. They would eat whatever they could find on the land. This included seeds, nuts and plants. They also ate lots of fish and some meats such as Kangaroo and Crocodile

This food is known as Bush Tucker and it refers to the ancient foods eaten by the Aboriginals. Some of these traditions are still held by Aboriginal tribes.[I:http://traveltheworld360.com/img/2009/09/JenniferSchellington13.jpg]

If you want to see traditional bush tucker ingredients whilst in Australia, look out for gourmet jams and chutneys. This is not how the Aboriginals used to consume these special ingredients but it has brought them to a broader audience. You will also find the word BUSH TUCKER used to describe traditional Australian meats such as Emu, Kangaroo and Crocodile.

The Reality TV programme, “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!” is filmed in Australia and has shown contestants having to eat live bugs. The aboriginals did indeed eat bugs and they are a delicacy. The idea is to squeeze their insides into your mouth. You do this a bit like how you would eat an oyster. You’ll struggle to find this on many menus. Clearly for most, the idea is too off putting.

Key Bush Tucker Ingredients

There are thousands of traditional ingredients that are known as Bush Tucker but here are a few of the key ones:

Finger Lime This is a zesty fruit with a lovely flavour. You will find it in many gourmet Australian Marmalades.

Warrigal Greens are a plant and are a bit like spinach. An interesting fact is that Captain Cook shipped the seeds back to Britain to prevent the disease called scurvy.

Lemon Myrtle A very popular Aboriginal ingredient due to its healing abilities as well as the fact that it is tasty so can be used in cooking. It is high in Citral which is a good ingredient to keep away mosquitoes.

Macadamia Nuts A nut synonymous with Australia. These days you will find it in every souvenir shop, usually coated in chocolate.

There are plenty of places throughout Australia where you can experience Bush Tucker. There are outback restaurants that specialise in meat, local farm shops where you can taste fabulous pickles and jams using these ingredients but the best way is probably to take part in a guide tour in the bush or outback. Here an Aboriginal will point out the various plants for you and explain what they are used for. The finale of the tour usually finishes in a tasting session. For more details on where to go to experience Bush Tucker visit the Real Australia Travel Website.

Jennifer Schellington has nearly half a decade of experience in travelling Australia and has recently had a baby. Her website, www.realaustraliatravel.com offers practical information for planning your trip to Australia as well as where to go and what to do. Click here for more information on Australian Bush Tucker