丛林美食

深入了解北领地原住民神奇迷人的传统生活，获取如何在严酷的沙漠环境下生存的实用技巧。

这里的原住民凭借狩猎采集的方式获得了生存必需的知识与技能，让他们几万年来繁衍生息，相续不断。向一位原住民向导请教他们是如何做到这一切的。

参加经组织的游览活动是目前了解丛林美食的最佳方式。跟随一位原住民向导踏上丛林徒步路径，寻找各种食物和水源。北领地各地都提供这种行程。请注意如果您想要自行探索，那么您在带走任何东西之前必须先获得许可。

新奇食物

深入内陆之地，品尝您前所未闻的新奇食物，例如埋在火红煤块之下的雀鹅，或海龟、袋鼠、巨蜥与蛇。如果您靠近海边，还可大啖一系列美味海鲜。素食者在这里也能大饱口福。在不同的时节，您都能收获鲜美可口的菜蔬水果 —— 丛林香蕉、野生西瓜、山药、野生葡萄、粉色海滩苹果、比利羊李子（维生素C含量是橙子的50倍）、海扇浆果、荷花与野生豆类及坚果。

如果您具有冒险精神或是想重现《幸存者》（Survivor）里的情境，那么不妨来一顿木蠹蛾幼虫大餐，它们隐匿在地底下的树根里，富含蛋白质，吃起来有种独特的坚果味。另一种可食用昆虫 —— 蜜蚁，是土著人餐桌上一道常见的甜品。

天然医生

如果您想在野外生存，少不了需要学习一些关于丛林草药的知识，例如碾碎的绿蚂蚁可以医治流感，金合欢树的树液可以治愈头痛。

Aboriginal bush food in Darwin

You wouldn’t normally associate parliament with bush tucker, but in Darwin you can experience both. Speakers Corner Café, on the ground floor of Parliament House, utilises native bush foods in their menu. Kakadu plum, bush honey, bush tomatoes and quandong all feature regularly and the café is staffed by local Aboriginal people gaining and developing their hospitality skills on the job.

At the top of the Smith Street Mall – opposite the Tourist Information Centre, Aboriginal Bush Traders, offers bush tucker influenced dining in a café setting. The store includes an impressive retail section, where you can purchase bush food for your own cooking, skincare and bush medicine products, ethical fashion, artwork, homewares, books, maps and cards. All products are genuine, ethically sourced and sustainably made by people in remote Aboriginal communities.

Aboriginal bush food on the Tiwi Islands

Join the Tiwi Islands Aboriginal Cultural Tour for an incredible day on Bathurst Island immersing yourself in traditional culture. Visit the museum and learn about Dreamtime stories of the Tiwi people, before sitting with local Tiwi ladies with a billy tea and damper while they weave and paint. Witness a traditional totem dance and a smoking ceremony, before heading out on a drive to collect bush tucker, bush medicines and natural fibres and dyes. This cultural experience on Darwin’s doorstep is popular, so be sure to book to avoid missing out.

Aboriginal bush food in East Arnhem Land

For an authentic bush food and medicine tour that includes weaving, spear making, dance and ceremony, the Liya Wanhurr Aboriginal Corporation offers camping and tours well off-the-beaten-track into the Dhalinybuy homelands. Each tour is customised to the season and the environment, so no 2 tours are the same, guaranteeing a unique cultural experience.

Bawaka homeland opens its doors to visitors with the Bawaka Two Night Tour. Arrive in the community to a welcome dance and smoking ceremony, before experiencing the daily life of the Yolngu people. You’ll learn basket weaving techniques, gather medicinal plants for traditional healing, hear stories and learn about language, kinship and sacred ceremonies.

Aboriginal bush food in Kakadu

The Taste of Kakadu festival offers the best of Indigenous cuisine and culture, showcased in Kakadu National Park. Outside of festival time, visitors get to experience all the other incredible sights and activities of Kakadu National Park. The festival is only held once a year, so book in early to avoid disappointment.

Animal Tracks Safari is a small group tour into exclusive areas of Kakadu National Park not open to other operations. Participants learn about Aboriginal culture, go on a wildlife safari and then try fresh bush tucker, including turtles, snakes, grubs, fruit, yams, tubers, bulbs and corms. Finish the day with a sunset campfire, billy tea and damper, and other bigger bush tucker like magpie geese and buffalo.

Aboriginal bush food in Central Australia

Alice Springs Desert Park is a great place to learn about finding food in the harsh arid environment of the surrounds. Survival in the Desert runs daily, with a park guide demonstrating how Aboriginal people used plants and animals as both food and medicine to survive the hot and dry conditions.

If you’d like to try your hand at cooking with traditional bush tucker ingredients, Kungkas Can Cook – based in Alice Springs – has a great online shop where you can find ethically sourced, organic bush food harvested from the Central Desert by local women. Wattle seed, saltbush, desert raisin, lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, pepperberry, bush spice rub rosella, wild lemongrass, quandong, strawberry gum and boab powder are all available to purchase. There’s no better way to take your desert experience home with you.

Just outside Kings Canyon & Watarrka National Park, you’ll find the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Tour. This one-hour tour gives visitors an introduction to the Luritja and Pertame (Southern Arrernte) language and culture, as well as taking a deep dive into bush tucker and medicine, jewellery making and cultural artefacts. This walk through the traditional lands of the Wanmarra family group is suitable for all of the family and provides a greater appreciation of the plants seen throughout Central Australia.

Aboriginal bush food around Uluru

When visiting Uluru, take the time to try the Bush Food Experience at Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara. This free experience gives you an introduction to identifying, gathering and preparing bush tucker from the local region. The experience culminates with a cooking demonstration that helps you incorporate traditional Indigenous flavours into your cooking at home.

Tali Wiru means ‘beautiful dune’ in the local Anangu language. This dinner experience on a private sand dune, encapsulates the magic of dining under the Southern Desert sky. Enjoy champagne and canapes, before indulging in a 4-course dinner – each course using fresh local bush tucker ingredients. The accompanying didgeridoo performance and Aboriginal storyteller enhance the ambiance of this unique dining experience.

Sounds of Silence offers an unforgettable dining experience from a viewing platform overlooking the Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park. A traditional dance performance under the outback sky is the prelude to a bush tucker inspired dinner that incorporates native bush ingredients. The exceptional clarity of the night sky showcases various visible planets and galaxies, including the Southern Cross and the signs of the zodiac – all decoded for you by the resident ‘star talker’.

Discover more food and drink ideas in the NT.