Where to get native Australian bush tucker in Sydney

When you think of Australian food, your mind might automatically conjure up images of Vegemite or shrimp on the barbecue. If, however, you look back a little further in history, you’ll see that Australia has an indigenous Aboriginal cuisine called ‘bush tucker’, a type of food that is still eaten today.

Make sure to immerse yourself in Australia’s history by sampling this fascinating cuisine on your trip to Sydney! Though this type of food isn’t regularly eaten by your average Aussie, it’s possible to find it in various restaurants and markets conveniently located close to your hotel in Potts Point.

What is bush tucker?

Also known as ‘bush food’, the cuisine primarily consists of fruits and plants, such as saltbush (pictured above), wild passion fruit and bush tomato (to name a few), as well as a number of different types of seed. Meat is also a staple of bush tucker – kangaroo, crocodile, snakes, wallaby and lizards are a few of the many animals that have been essential to the Aboriginal diet.

The final component of bush tucker actually comes from bugs! Grubs and caterpillars, as well as honey (both from beehives and the honey ant) are also commonly used in bush food.

Where can I try it in Sydney?

Most visitors tend to sample bush tucker on outdoor excursions through central Australia, but there are a few places in the city where you can try cuisine inspired by Aboriginal foods.

Gardener’s Lodge Cafe, located only half an hour from The Macleay Hotel in Victoria Park, serves bush-inspired cuisine and teaches customers about Aboriginal food and culture. For an Australian-Chinese fusion right on your doorstep, try Billy Kwong – this restaurant combines bush tucker ingredients with Chinese flavours and is conveniently located on the first floor of the hotel.

Keep your eye out for pop-up food stalls around Sydney as well, because Regional Bushfoods Producers have been known to test their products on the general public from time to time!

Though it might seem unusual, this kind of hunter-gatherer diet is actually full of protein, nutrients and carbohydrates, making it quite healthy.

For a new culinary experience close to your Potts Point hotel, get out and try some bush tucker!