A magical combination of native Australian ingredients from bush food artist Raymond Kersh of Edna’s Table restaurant in Sydney.

Brother and sister team Raymond and Jennice Kersh have been running Edna’s Table since the early 1980s. They have a passion for Australian native produce and since 1993, when the restaurant moved to its current location, have tried to promote its use both in their recipes and in the broader community.

Australian native produce Australian native produce refers to the indigenous herbs, plants and animals of Australia, a source of nourishment, flavour and medicine for the Aboriginal people. While there has been increasing awareness of some of the native fruits and plants and their uses, “bushfood” has not yet become part of the everyday pantry supplies of the average Australian cook.

Herbs such as lemon myrtle, native pepperberry and native aniseed are strong in flavour and add a distinctive taste of the bush to any dish. Fruits like the riberry or lilli pilli, Kakadu plums, quandongs, ‘bush tomatoes’ or akadjura, native finger limes and lemon aspen can be made into jams, chutneys or used in sauces. Native meats include crocodile, kangaroo and emu. And the bark of the paperbark tree is perfect to wrap around meat or seafood or even green vegetables prior to baking, steaming or grilling. Greens include native parsley and warrigal greens, a native spinach that is grown in other parts of the world, including France.

There are a number of companies supplying native Australian ingredients and some retail outlets, including The Essential Ingredient and Five Star Gourmet Foods in Sydney.

Recipes:

Salmon and paperbark roll with native berry salsa