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Issue 5
CSIRO in West Africa with Acacia - World Food Day
Seeds of Australian dry-zone Acacia species formed part of the traditional
diet of Australia's Aboriginal people.
One of these species, A. colei, has proved well-adapted to the
West African semi-arid tropics, and is widely planted in southern Niger
where famine and malnutrition resulting from crop failures are serious
public health issues.
Based on an initial positive response from local people in 1990 and a
scientific assessment that a successful outcome was possible, intensive
research and development efforts were mounted to develop Acacia colei seeds as a new food source for the region. The main participants in the research were a non-government organisation, the Maradi Integrated Development Program (MIDP) and villages associated with it, CSIRO's
Australian Tree Seed Centre and a nutrition research group from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.
Main lines of investigation included taxonomic revision of the target
species, field trials and silvicultural treatments to maximise seed
production and a series of nutritional and toxicological studies involving
chemical analysis, animal testing and finally human volunteer trials.
Research showed that with appropriate silviculture (wide spacing and
repeated pruning) A. colei can yield an average of around 2 kg seed
per year per tree for at least 2-3 years from age two onwards, and its
seed flour can be safely incorporated in millet/sorghum based human diets
at rates of up to 25% by modifying traditional recipes.
Cooperation among indigenous communities in harsh environments could be
part of the answer to global food security, the Minister for Primary
Industries and Energy, John Anderson, said today.
Mr Anderson was speaking on World Food Day, commemorated each year on
16 October to draw attention to the problems of hunger and malnutrition in
the world. The theme of World Food Day 1997 is `Investing in Food
Security'.
In keeping with this theme, the Department of Primary Industries and
Energy is collaborating with CSIRO to fund two Aboriginal women from
central Australia to visit an indigenous community in Niger, West Africa,
to exchange information on the use of acacia seeds as a food source, Mr
Anderson said. The people of the Maradi region in Niger have been
developing Australian acacia seeds as an alternative food crop for about
seven years. Australian Aboriginal knowledge provided the basic idea. It
was passed on to West Africa by Australian researchers, through an
Australian-led rural development program run by the non-government
organisation SIM (Society of International Missionaries)
With this information, local people in Niger incorporated the acacia
seed flour into traditional millet and sorghum-based recipes to develop
palatable foods.
The seeds became even more attractive when the local people found that
no phase of the acacia seed preparation required new or specialised skills
or equipment. The Minister said bush tucker, such as acacia seeds, was already
popular in urban Australia and represented a sustainable and potentially
lucrative alternative enterprise for people in inland Australia.
In fact, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)
is currently developing a research plan to develop the bush foods
industry, he said. Mr Anderson said, generally, Australia was pursuing a
number of strategies to address the problem of food security. Australia
has a long history of investing in food security, highlighted by our
efforts in researching and developing sustainable food crops, he said.
Australian aid programs, as well as our domestic rural policies, also
recognise the fundamental contribution of women in fostering food
security. The Acacia Seed for Human Consumption program is outstanding in
that it demonstrates how indigenous Australian and African women have
collaborated with scientists to address a local food security problem in a
sustainable way. CSIRO on the Internet:
http://www.dpie.gov.au/dpie/pr/media_releases/anderson /index.html The Minister said bush tucker, such as acacia seeds, was already
popular in urban Australia and represented a sustainable and potentially
lucrative alternative enterprise for people in inland Australia. |
Index: 5
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Regional Native Cuisine from the Arid Interior
"How I survived in the bush on Freshwater Clam
Chowder"
 Erica Birmingham
Last year, `Christmas in the `bush' took on a whole different meaning
for me. Having decided to skip the traditional celebrations, I threw the
Kelpie and the swag in the back of the Holden and set off for the peace
and quiet of western Queensland. Here, by a large inland lake, I found an idyllic spot to camp, a remote
site where there was no-one else to disturb me... save for the myriad
birds and wildlife.
I camped by the lake for several days in intense December heat. During
the day, along with a nearby population of large Eastern Grey Kangaroos, I
dozed under the spreading branches of River Red Gums lining the lake,
venturing out only in the cool of the evenings.
I'd taken limited supplies with me, hoping that I wouldn't be too far
from the nearest shop. The ice in the esky melted quickly, leaving me with
soggy ingredients. These certainly didn't lend themselves well to the type
of gourmet bush cuisine that I had been anticipating. I soon became faced
with a choice: either I could leave the tranquility of my surroundings for
a long hot drive into town or I could use my knowledge of Australian
native foods to seek out some fresh edibles from my environs. I chose the bush tucker.
As with most types of eco-systems in Australia, the bush yielded a good
supply of ingredients. I started on my forage for food. First, I
investigated the hundreds of empty shells (resembling those of a large
freshwater pippi) which lay at the lake's edge. These were, in fact,
Freshwater Clams (Velesunio wilsoni) and, judging by their numbers,
they appeared to be a favourite food of the wading birds. I guessed that
they might be good tucker and spent the hot part of the day ducking into
the water and feeling around with my feet in the soft mud to locate these
bivalves. Pulling them out of the water into the sunlight, I was dazzled
by the brilliance of their golden shells. Photo:
Erika Birmingham 
I filled my hat with handfuls and left them to soak in a bucket of
fresh water in the shade. At first I was a bit dubious about the quality
of these molluscs, as they are filter feeders and oozed out thick black
mud from the bottom of the lake. After 24 hours of soaking in repeated
changes of water, they started to scrub up and resemble an ingredient
which had definite potential. Meanwhile, I followed the
errant trail of the Orchard Butterflies. These butterflies lay their eggs
on citrus trees, the native citrus being their preferred host in the wild.
They led me to find the unique Desert Limes (Eremocitrus glauca),
which were fruiting abundantly in vast thickets. This species of true
native citrus varies from a small, thorny, multi-stemmed shrub to a
narrow, upright tree with a well-defined trunk of up to 30cm. in diameter.
This was the first time I had found these trees in the wild and I was
amazed by the size of some of the old trees I found growing there. I
rested in the shade of one of these trees, which must have been covered in
thousands of limes, each resembling a miniature lemon of up to 1.5cm in
diameter. The limes had a porous, almost translucent, yellow skin when
ripe and were very sour in taste. Apparently the aboriginal tribes who
lived in this area used to eat the raw fruit, but I had other plans. The
bark of these trees oozed with a clear sap which also had a tangy citrus
flavour. This area of land was used by the early settlers, primarily for
grazing and few trees, if any, were ringbarked. The early settlers
realised the potential of the wild limes and used them to make drinks and
marmalades. Ironically, this species of lime is still regarded as a woody
weed in some areas of Queensland. I ducked, as two brightly coloured
Eastern Rosellas gorged themselves on fruit in the branches above me,
dropping the occasional lime on my head.
I was surprised to find some Warrigal Greens (Tetragonia
tetragonioides) growing by the track toward the lake and gathered them
in the cool of the evening. I had only seen this plant (also known as New
Zealand Spinach) growing on the coastal sand dunes of eastern Australia,
but it has a very wide distribution, extending inland to the woodlands and
plains of the arid interior. It was rarely eaten by aboriginal people but
the early settlers took this plant back to England in the 1800's, where it
became the only Australian plant to be cultivated overseas as a vegetable.
It has since become a feral plant in Africa, Europe and the USA, where it
is found growing as far south as Florida. In the grasslands, I found a large species of mushroom from the
Puffball genus. All the true Puffballs are edible and this particular
species (Calvatia lilacina) grows up to 10cm. in diameter. It is
good to eat, as long as the flesh still remains white inside. On maturing,
the flesh dissipates to a lilac-brown colour, when it becomes bitter to
the taste and finally to a brown dust (at which point it has traditionally
been used for kicking a `puff `of dust into the air...). Next, came the condiments.
I searched the area in vain, tasting every small ground cover I came
across (at the risk of poisoning myself!), remembering tales of the Native
Thyme (Ocimum tenuiflorum) which grew in the arid interior. This
was most likely the herb found by the early explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt,
who called it a ..."wild marjoram...which imparts its fragrance even
to the air..." Leichardt added this herb to his diminishing supplies
of tea and noted: "...we also used it frequently as a condiment in
our soup." This seemed like a pretty good recommendation to me -
however, not knowing how to recognise this species in the wild, I was
about to call off the search, depressed at the thought of my culinary
masterpiece lacking the essential ingredient. I was beginning to wish that
I had at least brought the mixed herbs from home, but by the second day,
there was that flavour. I had found it! The wild thyme was growing in my
campsite all along and was covered in a profusion of tiny purple flowers. Now, the ingredients for my feast were starting to show some real
promise (after all, this was Christmas...).
I started to prepare the soup, by boiling the billy over the campfire.
Then, I threw in the clams with the native thyme and some salt and pepper
(yes, I cheated) and boiled them just until the shells opened. Discarding
the clams, I retained the stock. I panfried the slices of Puffball
mushroom separately in butter until they were tender, then added them to
the stock. I then threw a handful of whole limes into the soup and covered
the billy, letting it simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the limes
were tender. In the meantime, I blanched the Warrigal Greens in a separate
saucepan, draining and discarding the water to remove the calcium oxylates.
I added the leaves to the soup for the last few minutes of cooking,
retaining a few for floating in the bowl as a garnish.
It was done.
Then, came the serving of the soup. A bottle of Chardonnay had been
reserved especially for the occasion, as an accompaniment (a little warm,
but never mind). Mmmmm...not bad grub, I thought. Even Rusty the Kelpie
ate it! I especially liked the burst of tangy citrus, as I bit into the
whole wild limes. The arid bushland had revealed some wonderful and unique
flavours. The sun set slowly over the lake, as waterfowl huddled together in the
shallows, settling in for the night. The pair of Red-backed Kingfishers
which had been darting back and forth around my campsite all day returned
to their nest in the hollow branch of an ancient River Red Gum. A hushed
calm finally enveloped the evening as a breeze blew up over the lake. I
breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed into my swag to watch the wide
expanse of evening stars.
"Tomorrow", I thought to myself, "I must buy some ice
for that esky..."
� Erika Birmingham, 1998 Byron Bay Native Produce
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