What is bush tucker?
Bush tucker is food native to Australia, traditionally eaten by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It includes native plants, seeds, nuts, fruits, insects and animals, and is now used in modern Australian cooking.
Aboriginal people have gathered, hunted and prepared bush foods for tens of thousands of years, developing detailed knowledge of seasonal foods and how to process them safely.
Common bush foods include kangaroo, emu, fish, yams, witchetty grubs, bush tomatoes, quandongs, Kakadu plums, macadamias, wattleseed and lemon myrtle.
Native foods today
In recent decades, native ingredients have become popular in restaurants, cafes and supermarkets. Chefs use them in sauces, desserts, drinks and spice blends.
Indigenous-owned businesses are increasingly involved in growing, harvesting and selling native foods, ensuring that communities benefit from their traditional knowledge.
Some bush foods are highly nutritious. For example, the Kakadu plum has one of the highest vitamin C contents of any fruit. Visitors can learn about bush tucker on Aboriginal-guided tours in many parts of Australia. The term was also popularized by the television show I'm a Celebrity, which features bush tucker trials.