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A trip to Australia should include some fantastic meals. The food and wine here in Australia is good value and, in my opinion, out of this world. Australia is an immigrant country which means there is a massive fusion of tastes and styles that can be explored by your taste buds.

A trip to Australia should include some fantastic meals. The food and wine here in Australia is good value and, in my opinion, out of this world. Australia is an immigrant country which means there is a massive fusion of tastes and styles that can be explored by your taste buds.

If you want to taste real Australian food, then you need to step back in time to when the Aboriginals were the only settlers here in Australia.

Aborigines are the original inhabiters of Australia and the word "Aboriginal" means "Indigenous to Australia." These are the people that lived in Australia before it was discovered by the British and Europeans. They would eat whatever they could find on the land. This included seeds, nuts and plants. They also ate lots of fish and some meats such as Kangaroo and Crocodile

This food is known as Bush Tucker. The word bush tucker refers to the food that aboriginals used to eat and some still do today.

If you want to see traditional bush tucker ingredients whilst in Australia, look out for gourmet jams and chutneys. This is not how the Aboriginals used to consume these special ingredients but it has brought them to a broader audience. You will also find the word BUSH TUCKER used to describe traditional Australian meats such as Emu, Kangaroo and Crocodile.

For those of you who have seen the reality TV programmes like "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here" you may have seen the eating of live bugs. These programmes are filmed in Australia and the Witchetty Bugs are a local delicacy. The idea is to squeeze out their insides straight into your mouth. A bit like eating an oyster. The idea is off putting for most! You won't find many places with these on the menu though.

Key Bush Tucker Ingredients

There are thousands of traditional ingredients that are known as Bush Tucker but here are a few of the key ones:

Finger Lime has a zesty fragrance so these days you will find it in expensive Australian marmalades.

Warrigal Greens are a little like Spinach. Did you know that the seeds from these plants were shipped back to Britain with Captain Cook to help prevent scurvy

Lemon Myrtle A very popular Aboriginal ingredient due to its healing abilities as well as the fact that it is tasty so can be used in cooking. It is high in Citral which is a good ingredient to keep away mosquitoes.

Macadamia Nuts A nut synonymous with Australia. These days you will find it in every souvenir shop, usually coated in chocolate.

There are plenty of places throughout Australia where you can experience Bush Tucker. There are outback restaurants that specialise in meat, local farm shops where you can taste fabulous pickles and jams using these ingredients but the best way is probably to take part in a guide tour in the bush or outback. Here an Aboriginal will point out the various plants for you and explain what they are used for. The finale of the tour usually finishes in a tasting session. For more details on where to go to experience Bush Tucker visit the Real Australia Travel Website.