How (and why) to add more bushfoods to your table
Traditional bushfoods like lemon myrtle and wattle seed are making their way onto plates across Australia and overseas.
As Australians are actively choosing to support local goods now more than ever, embracing native crops offers a pathway to a more sustainable future – one that values local biodiversity and integrates Indigenous biocultural knowledge into the heart of our agricultural practices and foods.
Contact sat down with Adjunct Associate Professor Dale Chapman from the Australian Research Council-funded UQ project, ‘A Deadly Solution: Towards an Indigenous-led bushfood industry’. A proud Yuwaalaraay and Kooma woman and founder of bushfood company My Dilly Bag, she’s passionate about connecting people with the flavours and wisdom of her culture.
Adjunct Associate Professor Dale Chapman
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
What are some native Australian bushfoods that you want to see hitting more menus around the country?
Australia is home to over 6,000 edible native plants, many of which are still largely unknown and underutilised. These plants aren’t just ingredients – they’re part of our cultural identity, our medicine cabinet and our spiritual connection to Country.
Some examples include lemon myrtle, which has a unique flavour and is sought as a spice, tea and flavouring. Warrigal greens, a delicious native spinach, grow vigorously in our climate and soils, and saltbush thrives in the harsh outback and has a distinct umami flavour.
Image: Kate and cosmicanna via Adobe Stock
Image: Kate and cosmicanna via Adobe Stock
Why is it important to bring traditional bushfoods to mainstream markets?
The bushfood industry creates vital opportunities for Indigenous Australians to be recognised for their Traditional Knowledge and custodianship.
As a proud entrepreneur and founder of My Dilly Bag, I don’t just see bushfoods as products on a shelf. I see them as living stories – a way to bring our culture back into the everyday. When we grow, prepare and share native foods, we’re keeping language, stories and traditions alive in a powerful and practical way.
Bringing bushfoods to mainstream markets is also about our communities. Bushfood enterprises empower us to create meaningful jobs, build confidence in our youth and establish economic independence rooted in culture.
At the same time, we’re applying ancient ecological knowledge to restore Country – protecting biodiversity, healing the land and responding to climate change. This is more than a business model, though. It’s a cultural movement that gives us a chance to lead, to educate and to walk together towards a future that respects both people and place.
Davidson plum
Davidson plum
Is it more sustainable for Australians to grow and consume native crops as opposed to alternatives like importing goods or farming-introduced produce?
Australia exports 70% of its agricultural produce and staple crops such as wheat and soybean that were introduced to Australia will continue to contribute to these exports.
However, bushfoods can be farmed in regions where staple crops don’t thrive in a changing climate. Resilient food systems featuring bushfoods support native biodiversity and healthy landscapes.
Locally grown, quality bushfoods add valuable nutrition to our plates and are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that support our health, including cardiovascular health.
My Dilly Bag vials of Earth Spice Dukkah. Image: Joe Ruckli
My Dilly Bag vials of Earth Spice Dukkah. Image: Joe Ruckli
Can you tell us about the Indigenous knowledge systems behind traditional bushfood agriculture and why it’s crucial to include this in agribusiness operations and research?
As demand grows for bushfoods, we must ensure Indigenous people are at the centre of this industry. This means doing it ethically with proper protocols, respect for cultural knowledge and free, prior and informed consent.
It also means doing it legally by recognising and protecting Indigenous Intellectual Property and ensuring sovereign rights, Indigenous Knowledge over Country and Culture, are upheld. It means doing it sustainably, continuing the custodial care of land that our Elders have practised for tens of thousands of years. This isn’t just an economic opportunity, but a moment to shape a just, inclusive and regenerative future for all.
What are your top tips for readers who want to bring more bushfoods to their tables?
My favourite way to use bushfoods in cooking is to weave them into familiar dishes so they shine without overwhelming the plate.
For example:
- Lemon myrtle in a simple vinaigrette, or in panna cotta, for a fresh citrus lift.
- Wattleseed in bread, damper or even tiramisu for its nutty, coffee-chocolate depth. Sprinkle it in your porridge, smoothie or coffee for a mocha-like flavour.
- Davidson’s plum reduced into a glaze for kangaroo or pork, balancing the richness with its sharp tang.
- Anise myrtle steeped in a syrup or poaching liquid for fruits. Delicate and warming.
- Native pepperberry instead of black pepper in dressings, teas or baked goods.
- Finger lime or wild fruits in sparkling water instead of cordials or soft drinks.
- Stir Kakadu plum powder into yoghurt, mayonnaise or salad dressings as a vitamin C boost.
- Rub kangaroo, chicken or even veggies with spice blends featuring saltbush or bush tomato instead of generic mixed herbs.
- Swap raisins or cranberries with dried quandong, muntries or native currants in muffins, trail mixes and muesli bars.
For me, bushfoods are more than just ingredients – they’re my birth right and my cultural connection to Country. Any dish I create will always have that essence of bushfoods in it because it’s part of my DNA.
A My Dilly Bag recipe for Aunty Dale's Deconstructed Wattleseed Tiramisu
What’s next for you and the team behind the research project?
We’ve started building something powerful – ‘A Deadly Solution’ – a blockchain-based system designed by and for Indigenous people to reshape how bushfoods are grown, traded and shared.
As First Nations people, we understand that the future of our food systems, knowledge and sovereignty depends on having the right tools in place – tools that uphold integrity, equity and innovation. Blockchain technology offers a powerful way to protect cultural knowledge, provide traceability and ensure Indigenous-led products are not only recognised but respected.
‘A Deadly Solution: Towards an Indigenous-led bushfood industry’ would not be possible without the project's many collaborators, researchers and organisations who are partnering to create change.
Project leaders:
- UQ Adjunct Professor Dale Chapman
- Gerry Turpin, (Bachelor of Science '06)
UQ Chief Investigators:
- Professor Bronwyn Fredericks
- Honorary Professor Kim Bryceson
- Emeritus Professor Helen Ross
- Dr Marlize Bekker
- Professor Susanne Schmidt
Indigenous communities:
- Watsonville Aboriginal Corporation
- Batavia Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
- Yumbangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Aboriginal Corporation (YACHATDAC)
If you're interested in connecting with the team behind this project to partner with them or learn more, contact: deadlysolutions@uq.edu.au
UQ Giving Day is back on Wednesday 15 October! Donations to UQ Bushfoods Project and other eligible Giving Day causes*, will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact when you give.
*Donations to UQ Bushfoods Project and other eligible causes up to $20,000 will be matched for UQ Giving Day until exhausted.
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