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SHORTCUTS | On the menu
culture that had enriched his life so greatly.
He has since worked extensively with respected
Aboriginal elders and undertaken long survival
missions out bush living off the land and is
now known as one of Australia’s foremost
authorities on edible and medicinal plants.
I’ve joined one of Jake’s tours, which I
envisioned would venture deep into the bush
to forage for foods, but in reality we barely
have to leave the entrance to the park. Jake
shows me Sydney golden wattle, which is high
in calcium and can be used as soap; scurvy
weed whose leaves are high in vitamin C;
the sap from an Angophora tree which is
“Betadine on steroids”; and Paddy’s lucerne,
which can help to cure sinus problems.
“Women were the original botanists,” Jake
tells me. “If anyone was injured or felt unwell,
the women knew exactly which plants to look
for to treat it.”
He offers me a leaf from a weedy looking
plant called a sarsaparilla. I chew into it with
trepidation but it is pleasantly sweet. He tells
me it’s a hormone balancer, an appetite
suppressant, and excellent for hydration...
I consider stuffing some in my pocket.
He spots another plant nearby and holds up
a shoot with five leaves. “This is a five-fingered
water vine. If you cut its branch into small
sections and blow through its hollow, fresh
water will come out,” he explains.I am captivated by Jake’s profound
knowledge of the bush, and dumbfounded by
the abundance of useful native plants. I think
about the bush behind my own backyard and
contemplate its edible and medicinal bounty.
We cross the beach where Jake spots
wallaby and fox tracks, to the start of the
Bouddi Coastal Walk. I mention the
burgeoning bush food scene and how top
chefs are now including these ingredients in
their menus, such as David Lee, the head chef
at Pretty Beach House up the road, where I
am staying for the weekend. “It’s great that
people are becoming more aware of bush
foods,” Jake says. “It restores our respect for
and deepens our connection to the land.”
Located just outside Bouddi National Park,
this luxurious guesthouse sits on sacred land;
three Aboriginal artworks that date back an
astounding 8000 years are found here. Guests
can learn about Indigenous culture through a
variety of experiences such as a traditional
smoking ceremony and cultural tours.
Like any home, the heart of Pretty Beach
House is the kitchen and food is a focal point
of any stay here. David Lee says he utilises
many different native Australian ingredients
as integral flavours and components in his
dishes, not just as an afterthought. Between
the kitchen garden and David’s garden at
home, ingredients such as saltbush, warrigal
greens, lemon myrtle, Davidson plum and
lilli pilli are grown and used to complement
meats such as kangaroo and marron.
My specially designed menu includes
inventive dishes made from fresh, local
ingredients that burst with unique flavours- Sardinian gnocchi with yakkajirri (bush
tomato seasoning); char-grilled kangaroo
DETAILS
Getting there
Bouddi National Park is located
on NSW’s Central Coast, just
over an hour north of Sydney.Staying there
Pretty Beach House
(prettybeachhouse.com) offers
all-inclusive packages from
$1000 per person, per night.Playing there
Jake Cassar’s tours
can be booked at
jakecassarbush
craft.com or
through Pretty
Beach House.with warrigal greens and quandong; and
lemon myrtle panna cotta with wild rosella
confit and riberry sorbet.
As I eat my way through the indulgent
degustation, I think back to something Jake
said as we were tasting food plucked straight
from the Earth: “A couple of hundred years
ago, what we call organic or slow food today
was just, well, food.” Indeed, this food would
be extinct if it weren’t for storytelling and
knowledge sharing of Indigenous generations.
And while this food, to most of us, sounds
(ironically) exotic it’s slowly and rightfully
making its way to tables across the country...
and is probably growing in your backyard.CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP: Pretty Beach House
is located on the Central
Coast; Go foraging with expert
guide Jake Cassar; A bush
tucker-inspired dish of chilled
tomato soup with spanner crab,
fennel pollen and lemon myrtle.PHOTOGRAPHY: JACS POWELL (DISH)