BECOMING AUSTRALIAN: THE AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT OF

THE ENGLISH AND AUSTRALIAN

COOKERY BOOK

Native game mentioned by Abbottkangaroo

emuwombat

mutton birdwild duck and teal

(in particular the black and mountain duck of Tasmania)wild pigeonwattle bird

wattled tallegalla or brush turkey black swan

turkey bustard

Slide 3

Louisa MeredithWild raspberries and other fruits, fromSome of My Bush Friends in Tasmania (1860)Courtesy Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide

The confectioner near the bridge in Argyll-street, has succeeded in taming several pairs of native pigeon. A cross between this beautiful bird and the common house pigeon would be well worth the experiment of the naturalist.

Hobart Town Gazette, 1 July 1826 Common bronzewing

Slide 5

We can also make roll fruit puddings, having

brought the preserves up with us – preserve of

native currants, what the dickens they are I

don't know, never having seen such a thing as

currant or gooseberry in the Bush, but I

suppose they come from Sydney or Van

Diemen's Land.

William Howitt, Letter to Eliza Acton from the Bendigo goldfields (1853)

Marianne Collinson CampbellNative Currants, 18??, (nla.pic-vn3626483)

Slide 6

Neville CayleyWonga pigeon, c. 1880(nla.pic-an3303654)National Library of Australia

'The flesh of the Wonga-wonga is very similar to that of the pheasant, being quite white and very rich, and this bird has often furnished my bush table in the wilds of Australia with a "plat" not to be despised by the most fastidious gourmand.'

Clement Hodgkinson, Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay (1845)

February 1788The scurvy, that had not appeared during the passage, now broke out, which, aided by a dysentery, began to fill the hospital and several died. In addition to the medicines that were administered, every species of esculent plants that could be found in the country were procured for them: wild celery, spinach, and parsley fortunately grew in abundance about the settlement; those who were in health, as well as the sick, were glad to introduce them into their messes, and found them a pleasant as well as wholesome addition to the rations of sallt provisions.

Hobart Town, River Derwent, Van Diemen's Land, A'sia: 1805

6 July: — … many of the prisoners applyd for kangaroo, the pork being so very

bad and only 2 lb. 10 oz. a week.

August: — …. brought home 8 kangarros and an emew. 4 I put into His

Majesty's stores and an emew. They weighed 342 lbs. … 4 I kept at home, two

of which I gave away to people that had none.

October: — … 'I may truly say the colony was in a very dreadful distress and

visible in every countenance. Had it not been for the good success in killing

kangarros, the colony would have been destitute of everything.

Mary Nicholls, The Diary of the Reverend Robert Knopwood 1803-1838 (1977)

Slide 8

Kangaroos and wombats are often caught, the flesh of the former is

famed for its flavour; the flesh of the wombat is not so generally known

but we can vouch from experience that a young wombat stuffed and

roasted whole in the same manner as a sucking pig, makes a most

delicious dish. ... The echidna often formed a favourite dish on the tables

of the officers and when properly stuffed with sage and onion and

roasted, had all the flavour and taste of a goose.

Thomas Lemprière, The Penal Settlements of Van Diemen's Land (1839)

'We had many visitors, who seemed often to enjoy any little new dish we had; it was a change from that everlasting mutton and damper … Sandy our shepherd generally came home in the evening loaded with wild ducks; they were exceedingly good. We also sometimes got wild geese, turkeys and swans – all good eating: they were a great saving to us, as well as very delightful food. In Melbourne, wild ducks sell at twenty shillings a pair, and we sometimes had thirty a week. … Parrots are very good eating; many a parrot pie we had. The white parrots are I think, the best; next, the white cockatoo.'

Katherine Kirkland, Life in the Bush (1845)

'Flying fox are excellent eating … once get rid of the wings and skin and you will hardly know the flesh from pork. I have had people eat it at my table without ever guessing what it was, and they have even complimented me upon the flavour of my chicken pie. … I cut them up, along with an onion, and seasoned with all sorts of herbs, and stewed them for a couple of hours, then turned them into a pie dish and covered with a good paste. Curried, you would not know flying fox from pork.'

Mrs. Lance Rawson, The Queensland Cookery and Poultry Book (1890)

Slide 11

... several of our Colonial venison dishes absolutely require the coining of a new word to denote their excellencies-— delicious, exquisite ... But a kangaroo steamer — why the fellow that could suffer even the tithe of a soldier's grace to be muttered without diving into the dish, deserves to be dieted on cabbage and red herrings during the remainder of his rascally life. Nay, even, if but a whiff of the steam could be wafted among your English gourmands, they would hang themselves to a fraction, in downright desperation, that their palates should, he unable to share in the raptures of the nose; while that great Emperor of Epicures, the illustrious Sir William himself, in order to enjoy but the brief delights of a spoonful of the skum, might be tempted to pick his Majesty's pockets on a Levee day, in order to secure himself a passage out. The Australian, 13 March 1827: 3

The common wood pigeon of the island, that beautiful bird, is now very fat and very plentiful, as well as the quail. They are sold at the wharf at about ls. 6d. a pair.

Hobart Town Courier, April 1829

Frederick Grosse,Jumping to a conclusion, 1855 (MP00/00/56/57)Pictures Collection, State Library of Victoria

Market supplies, 1842

SydneyPoultry are rising in price, andare of first rate quality. The pricesare as follow : Fowls, from 1s. to6s. per pair; ducks, from 6s. to 8s. per ditto; Muscovy ducks, 8s. to12s. per ditto; geese, 12s. to 14s.per ditto; turkeys, 15s. to 25s. perditto; pigeons, 3s. per ditto;Guinea fowls, 6s. to 8s. per ditto;wild ducks, 4s. to 6s. per ditto;teal, 3s. 6d. to 4s. per ditto; snipe,3s. to 4s. per brace; moor hens,3s. to 4s. per pair.Sydney Morning Herald, 27 August 1842

AdelaideFat wethers, 9s.to 15s. each; Ewes, 18s. to£1; Lambs, 6s.to 8s.6d.; Cattle, £3 to £5; Dairy cows, £3 to £12; Goats, 10s. to £1 10s.; Pigs, 13s to £2 10s.;

Roosters, 5s.; Fowls, 3s. per couple; Ducks, 5s. per couple; Geese, 10s;

Turkeys, 13s. each;Wild ducks, 1s. per pair; Kangaroo, 1s. per lb.; Emu, 1s.; Working bullocks, £15 to £20 per pair Horses, £20 to £60

South Australian Register, 10 September 1842

'The poulterers' shops in Swanston-street have lately presented a fair assortment of goods from the animal kingdom, as interesting to the naturalist as no doubt they are to the more material admirers of the creature comforts. There has been kangaroo, in whole or in parts, pleasantly suggestive of tail soup and reminiscent of jugged hare; black swans, ducks in great variety, including the beautiful brown-headed bird, quail, representatives of the crane family, and pigeons, plovers, paraquets numberless, to the great indignation, in the sacrilege of parrot pie, of new chums with a genius for collection.'

Argus, 4 July 1864

Slide 15

'The room was plainly but comfortably furnished. Shelves of books lined the walls, and a table in the centre of the room was already covered with a clean cloth, and bore, in addition to a smoking tureen of soup, three long-necked bottles and a cold pie. 'The soup is kangaroo,' said our host, seating himself. 'I have just returned in time to save it from boiling over. That is parrot pie ...'

Marcus Clarke, 'The Man with the Oblong Box'

Experimental Dinner,Acclimatisation Society of VictoriaMenzies Hotel, Melbourne15 October 1861