Have you ever wondered what an Aboriginal Supermarket would look like? You can now see for yourself in Adelaide.
In Australia you can find specialty supermarkets that cater to Chinese, Indian and South East Asian cuisines. You can find Organic and Vegetarian specialty stores. But what about a store that specialises in Aboriginal bush food?
It’s possible to find bush meats such as Kangaroo, Emu and Crocodile thanks to a number of game meat suppliers around the country. But one Indigenous owned store in Adelaide specialises in all the most common as well as the harder to source bush meats and and native greens.
Have you ever wanted to try Magpie Geese, Crocodile, Emu or Kangaroo? Maybe you have heard about the health benefits of Aboriginal superfoods such as Quandongs, Kakadu plums, Wattle Seeds or Lemon Myrtle. Well Something Wild in Adelaide’s Central Markets stock the lot. They even sell green ants and make an award winning Green Ant Gin. Something Wild was awarded the Indigenous Business of the year Award at the 2017 Dreamtime Awards.
The owners have strong connections with Indigenous communities and can even help you track down something else that you may want to try. Just last week they were able to source giant Bunya nuts for a special customer order. Something Wild also has an online shop so it is possible to make a purchase even if you’re not in Adelaide.
Something wild don’t just stock native ingredients either. They are always looking to create something new to tantalise your taste buds. You can order mixed grill kebabs and sausages with a total of 6 game meats in each pack. They also have their own secret marinade recipes and make a mean Magpie Goose Pie. You might even run into AFL superstar Eddie Betts who is a regular at the store.
We are writing this story purely to wish Something Wild more success. We would love to see more stores opening up around Australia in order to make native food more accessible to everyone. Our Indigenous population has record high levels of diabetes, kidney and heart disease but it is our native foods such as Kangaroo meat, Wattle seeds and Macadamia nuts that are known to prevent some of these problems.
If you’re looking to grow your own bush food at home, we heard on the grapevine that Bunnings stock a number of edible native bush plants such as the Native Mulberry in their W.A, S.A and QLD stores. Another way to learn about native foods is to keep up to date with Indigenous Celebrity Chef Clayton Donovan who tours around and opens pop up stores from time to time across Australia. Another place where you can taste a huge range of native ingredients is in Darwin at Aboriginal Bush Traders. If you’re in Brisbane, be sure to check out First Food Co Bush Food Specialists.
We really hope to see the list of places that promote and sell native foods continue to grow in the near future.
