Discover Adelaide's Finest Aboriginal Cuisine — Here’s Where to Dine

“This here is a macadamia tree,” Haydyn Bromley said, pointing to a bunch of glossy green leaves as we strolled through the Adelaide Botanic Garden. “They’re indigenous to Australia.” I was taken aback, having always linked the nut to Hawaii. Bromley, cultural director of the Aboriginal-run consultancy Bookabee Australia, was showcasing some of the native plants in this expansive 124-acre park. He explained that Indigenous clans were the original consumers of macadamias, also using macadamia oil for skincare and body art.

Macadamias represent just one of around 6,000 foods that Australia’s Indigenous communities have consumed for over 65,000 years. Referred to as “bush tucker,” this wholesome cuisine encompasses a variety of native food sources: not only nuts, fruits, and vegetables, but also seafood like marron (Australian crayfish), land animals such as emu and kangaroo, and insects like green ants and witchetty grubs, large larvae that evolve into wood moths.

Many of these native resources were lost to mainstream culinary traditions during the European colonization in the late 18th century, leading to a gradual shift toward imported foods. “People used to believe that Aboriginal diets consisted solely of grubs and snails,” Bromley remarked.

Today, more menus showcase hyperlocal cuisine as Australians increasingly embrace Aboriginal culture, with chefs highlighting once-overlooked ingredients for their nutritional benefits, sustainability, and taste. “In the past decade, bush tucker has started to integrate into the national diet,” noted prominent Aboriginal horticulturist Clarence Slockee. “Everyone is eager to learn where their food originates.”

Located on the unceded land of the Aboriginal Kaurna people, Adelaide offers a range of venues to sample these foods, from gourmet tasting menus to market stalls. Explore these four spots to experience it firsthand.

Bush Devine

At Paulett Wines, situated in the Clare Valley wine region approximately 85 miles north of Adelaide, owner Ali Paulett established a bush garden with the assistance of Aboriginal consultants back in 2010. 

Today, the winery's restaurant, Bush DeVine, maintains a strong commitment to local agriculture. Chef Thomas Erkelenz harvests ingredients from his on-site garden and collaborates with local foragers and suppliers. 

I enjoyed soba noodles infused with sweet-spicy pepperberries, complemented by crispy pork cracklings and a tangy plant known as karkalla, all while dining on a terrace with views of lush pastures and vineyards. 

Red Ochre Barrell & Grill

Nestled along the banks of the Torrens River in North Adelaide, this restaurant was the pioneer in featuring uniquely Australian foods when it opened its doors 24 years ago. “Our most sought-after dishes include grilled kangaroo, fried crocodile fish cakes, and pan-roasted barramundi,” shared executive chef Ray Mauger, who prioritizes sourcing from Indigenous co-op farms. When guests express curiosity about bush tucker, the staff provides an illustrated guide listing 20 common ingredients, from spinach-like warrigal greens to rosella flowers, a type of antioxidant-rich hibiscus with a flavor reminiscent of berry and rhubarb. 

For my entrée, I had grilled kangaroo (a lean, gamey meat rich in protein and iron, surpassing that of beef) seasoned with quandong, a wild peach known for its nutritional and medicinal properties. For dessert, I enjoyed a panna cotta flavored with lemon myrtle and sunrise lime, an oval fruit with a taste similar to kumquat.

Restaurant Botanic

In a gazebo-like setting within the Adelaide Botanic Garden, executive chef Justin James curates an astonishing four-hour, 29-course tasting menu featuring at least 30 native ingredients. He presents emu meat cured with sunrise limes; enhances oysters from Coffin Bay, a seafood paradise in South Australia, with fermented desert-lime pulp and green ants; and wraps marron in the leaves of a shrub known as oldman saltbush. The presentation is theatrical, with dishes elegantly arranged on leaves, nestled in shrubbery, skewered on branches, wrapped in tree bark, and balanced on rocks meant to be licked to intensify the umami flavor. Even the sparkling wine is infused with lemon aspen and mountain pepperleaf, two Indigenous botanicals.

Something Wild

This Aboriginal-owned business, featuring a stall in the lively Adelaide Central Market, sources directly from Indigenous suppliers. Under the leadership of founder Daniel Motlop, the team offers dry goods such as bush teas, spices, and rubs, along with a variety of wild-harvested fresh produce, including Kakadu plums and bush apples that resemble small pomegranates. Shelves are lined with jars of pickled succulents and quandong jam, while the refrigerated case showcases cuts of wild boar, emu, crocodile, and kangaroo. The green-ant gin is among Something Wild’s bestsellers, and the lemon-myrtle tarts, garnished with crunchy ants, deliver a delightfully tart explosion of flavor.

This story originally appeared in the August 2023 issue of Dinogo under the title 'Natural Selection.'