Aussie Native Fruit and Vegetables Quiz

Answer: Granny Smith

Believed to be the result of a chance cross-pollination between a common domestic apple (Malis pumila) and the European wild apple (Malis sylvestris), the seedling was cultivated into a tree by Maria Ann Smith, an English immigrant, and a small orchard was then planted.

The fruit rapidly became popular in the local Sydney markets, including for use in pies where sweetener could be added. All Granny Smith trees are clones from this original orchard. Maria Ann Smith had eight children with husband and fellow English immigrant, Thomas, and was well known in the area with a nickname of 'Granny'.

The Granny Smith was one of the four apples featured in a series of stamps released by the USA in 2013. The Granny Smith also is the apple featured in The Beatles' Apple Corporation logo.

Answer: Quandong

The quandong (Santalum acuminatum) is found across much of the more arid parts of Australia except for Tasmania. It grows well in low nutrient, well-drained soils. The fruit matures during spring to a diameter of around two cm (nearly one inch) and is an excellent source of vitamin C (three times higher than oranges) as well as protein when meat is in short supply. The fruit has been a staple part of the diets of many Aboriginal groups and has become very popular with non-indigenous groups too. The major difficulty in creating a food industry centered on the quandong is that it is notoriously difficult to cultivate. The fruit kernels were also used by Aboriginal groups as a traditional medicine, with strong antimicrobial properties.

Mittagong and Kooyong are Australian places and a Billabong is a waterhole.

Answer: Seeds

With a large number of varieties, Acacia trees are widely distributed across the Australian continent. However, generally only those trees in the northern areas provide edible foodstuffs. In addition to providing dietary fiber, the seeds can be dried and then ground into a meal or flour. Flour is more finely ground than meal. Aboriginal usage often involved making a paste. The flour can then be used in baking to provide a nutty flavor to both breads and desserts. The diluted resin from some wattle trees was also used as a medicine by some indigenous groups to treat respiratory problems including coughs and chest infections.

The root zones of many Acacia species also promote nitrogen fixation, which converts inert nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into ammonium ions that can then be utilized as a nutrient source for cellular growth.

Answer: Lime

Hopefully the green color helped with your answer! There are several species of lime that are native to Australia and these tend to be divided on a geographic basis. Finger limes (Citrus australasica) grow in the rain-forest regions of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, whereas, as the name suggests, desert limes (Citrus glauca) grow on thorny shrubs in the arid regions of the continent. Finger limes grow in a banana-like shape whereas desert limes are the more conventional rounded configuration.

Other varieties include the Mount White lime from the Cape York Peninsula and the Kakadu lime from the Northern Territory. All have been used as important food sources by indigenous communities as well as in contemporary Australian cuisine.

Answer: Macadamia

The Macadamia nut is actually a seed contained within a larger fruit, hence is more closely related to soybeans and Brazil nuts than to 'true nuts' such as hazelnuts, acorns and palm nuts. Macadamia trees are native to central and southern Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia.

They were named in honor of John Macadam, a prominent Australian scientist and politician (of Scottish descent) by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller. The nuts, once extracted from their very hard outer shells, were prized by local Aboriginal groups.

The great tasting nuts and the oil pressed from them are an important dietary source of protein, fiber, several essential vitamins (B group and E) and contain no cholesterol. Their health benefits and related commercial possibilities were recognized early in the 20th century when the trees were grown in Hawaii, and more recently in many other parts of the world including South Africa.

Answer: Emu Apple

The Muntries (Kunzea pomifera) shrub grows in large regions of the south eastern coastal area of Australia. The small reddish-green berries, also known as emu apples and native cranberries, have a taste of apple with a spicy overlay. The anti-oxidant concentrations in Muntries berries are four times higher than that of blueberries. Local Aboriginal groups, including the Narrindjeri people of the Coorong region, have long used the berries as one of the center points of their diet. Eaten raw when in season, they were also dried and used as a food source during winter. Early European settlers used the berries in pies and now they are also commonly added to salads and eaten as a snack with cheese and biscuits (crackers).

Answer: Tuber (root)

The tuberous root of the pencil yam (Vigna lanceolata) is a highly nutritious and valuable food resource in central Australia. The tubers, which appear as white 'roots', are dug up from often dry creek beds long after the above ground vegetation has died off.

They are then cooked on an open fire until just turning hard. The plant has been listed as endangered by the Northern Territory Government, stemming from loss of cultural knowledge on how and where to harvest the plants and the restrictions on use of regular, controlled burning by local Aboriginal peoples, which prevented the more intense wildfires which threaten the viability of seed banks.

Answer: Potato

The 'bush potato' (Ipomoea costata) grows below the vine-like, Rocky Morning Glory shrub on sandy plains. Once dug up, the firm but juicy white flesh has a slightly nutty flavor. More often they are cooked, typically in the ashes or in the hot earth beside the fire and then have a taste reminiscent of sweet potato.

A variety of contemporary recipes in mixed cuisine dishes use bush potatoes as a core ingredient.

Answer: Warrigal spinach

The oval-shaped leaves of Warrigal spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides), also known as Warrigal greens or New Zealand spinach, are a wonderful source of anti-oxidants and fiber. It grows well in coastal regions and is salt tolerant. It is prepared similarly to common spinach and serves well in the same type of dishes. In 1770, Captain Cook and his crew took Warrigal spinach from the Botany Bay area and pickled it; this was then successfully used to minimize scurvy as it contains Vitamin C in addition to large amounts of vitamins K and B6. The famous botanist in the crew, Sir Joseph Banks, took the plant back to England for further investigation. The plant can be easily cultivated and grown as a crop.

There is a severe penalty for not preparing this vegetable correctly as the leaves may contain toxic oxalates (similar to rhubarb leaves but not in such high concentrations), which must be removed by blanching briefly in hot water, then rinsing in cold water before consumption.

Answer: Bush Tucker

'Bush Tucker' is a widely used term and refers to the foodstuffs used by various Aboriginal peoples over tens of thousands of years habitation of the Australian continent. There is concern due to the encroachment of western lifestyles that much enormously valuable cultural knowledge will be lost forever as Aboriginal history is largely oral. Considerable effort continues in capturing this knowledge which includes how to find, prepare and manage bush tucker resources.

Some readers may be familiar with the use of 'tucker' meaning food from the Australian song "Waltzing Matilda", where the swagman stuffs a jumbuck (sheep) into his tuckerbag.