IN THE centuries before us, indigenous Australians would pluck bush tomatoes from the bush once they had shrivelled in the sun.
They would grind them down with water, then mould the deep red paste obtained into large, nutritious balls which were stored in tree forks until required.
Nowadays, writes Juleigh Robins in her third bush tucker recipe book Wild Food, the piquant fruit can be found already ground on supermarket shelves and used in a variety of dishes, from bush tomato soup with parmesan crisps, to Turkish-style stuffed eggplants braised in bush tomato sauce, and jammy bush tomato lattice tart.
In her continuing mission to promote Australian native foods, both here and abroad, epicurean Robins has selected 14 flavours sourced from our country's deserts, rainforests, alpine regions and coastal lands to star in 100 simple but impressive recipes.
Wild limes feature in elegant little friands, mountain pepper is used to spice up a peach sorbet, Kakadu plum is matched with mango in a tropical curry and the quandong fruit is layered with country pork and veal to make a terrine.
Wattleseed, lemon aspen, macadamia nut, anisata, Davidson's plum, native mint, riberry, wild rosella and lemon myrtle complete the list of bush foods, each of which Robins introduces with notes on traditional and modern day culinary usage, plus growing tips.
Robins and her partner, Ian, manufacture the indigenous food range, Outback Spirit.
