DINKUM DINING
Tucker
is the word Australians use for food.
And in a country so big, there's plenty of good tucker to be found - whether
it's bush tucker that enabled the Aborigines to survive for tens of thousands
of years, or more civilised eating at any of the great variety of restaurants
and watering holes across the outback.
You can sample bush tucker and fine fare of many types in this selection
of articles from back issues of R.M. Williams OUTBACK
magazine.
Partners in lamb
Issue 37 Oct/Nov 2004
Once considered the ‘black sheep’ of the lamb industry, Western Australia’s Q
Lamb is now one of the country’s leading meat alliances, with farmers, processors
and retailers working together to satisfy the customer.
Matso’s
by the bay
Issue 36 Aug/Sept 2004
Named after a local Japanese pearling family, Matso’s Café and Brewery
has a distinctive Broome flavour with its bayside location and traditionally
brewed
beer.
Camel
on the menu
Issue 35 June/July 2004
A distinctive native cuisine style is emerging in Alice Springs that could
one day rival the scenic delights of Central Australia.
Buffalo
soldier
Issue 34 April/May 2004
With purposeful determination and more than a dash of irreverence, Victoria's
Roger Haldane is bringing the art of making cheese from buffalo milk to new
heights in Australia.
Cook
up a storm
Issue 33, Feb - Mar 2004
A camp oven may seem like a pretty basic piece of kit, but, as those at the
inaugural Camp Oven Cook-off in the Flinders Ranges town of Blinman well
know, in the right hands it can produce mouthwatering culinary wonders.
Taste
of the tropics
Issue 31, Oct-Nov 03
Light, fruity, fresh flavours characterise the tropical cuisine served in
a guesthouse-style resort in the beachfront village of Palm Cove.
Brisbane
is steak city
Issue 30, Aug - Sep 03
Hotels all over the Queensland capital are undergoing million dollar upgrades,
more often than not incorporating a contemporary steakhouse.
The
art of dining
Issue 29, Jun - Jul 03
Most chefs would consider themselves artists, but Paula Rengger at Shakey
Tables in the Hunter Valley of NSW takes the concept one step further.
Sydney
steak-out
Issue 28, Apr - May 03
During the 1980s and 1990s it seemed that city steakhouses were heading for
oblivion. But now, with the introduction of meat standards that guarantee
a perfect steak every time, downtown steakhouses are more popular than ever.
From this issue, OUTBACK is showcasing Australia's best steakhouses, starting
with some in and around Sydney - to coincide with the 2003 Royal
Ripe
for the picking
Issue 27, Feb - Mar 03
Used in salads, sandwiches and everyone's favourite - desserts - berries
are a versatile little addition to many dishes. And the best way to sample
these sweet seasonal treats is to pick your own.
Bring
on the barbie!
Issue 26, Dec 02 - Jan 03
The smell of sausages sizzling, the taste of a chargrilled steak washed down
with a cold beer, the sound of mozzies buzzing and cicadas singing. Summer
just wouldn't be summer in Australia without the smells, sounds and flavours
of the outdoor barbie.
Spell
for success
Issue 25, Oct - Nov 02
When visiting the 'big smoke', you're often so spoilt for choice for lunch
and dinner options that you get bamboozled and opt for takeaway. But next
time you're in Perth, visit Subiaco's Witch's Cauldron Restaurant and you'll
be guaranteed of a hearty meal in a unique environment.
Birdsville's
café culture
Issue 24, Aug - Sep 02
"The only problem with the bush is that you can never get a decent
coffee" has become a catch-cry of many city slickers - and a few bushies - especially
those imbued with what has become known in the big smoke as 'café culture'. Well, things are changing, and quickly.
Roo
with a view
Issue 23, Jun - Jul 02
A Tasmanian tour operator has the perfect ingredients: superb north-east
Tasmanian scenery, a genuine bush adventure, wildlife, humour and fabulous
food.
Clare
Country Charm
Issue 22, Apr - May 02
Adventurous regional food, outstanding boutique wines, friendly service,
and the idyllic setting of Eldredge Vineyards make for an unrivalled food
and wine experience in SA's Clare Valley.
Exotic
influences
Issue 21, Feb - Mar 02
Dining at Saffron Downs sheep station, with its innovative international
cuisine and visually exciting surrounds, leaves an indelible impression.
Western-style
bush tucker
Issue 20, Dec 01- Jan 02
Darwin chef and university lecturer, Steve Sunk, has developed a unique program
for Aboriginal communities combining the best of bush tucker with western
preparation and cooking. The results are as scrumptuous as they are surprising.
Banquet
of Aussie delicacies
Issue 19, Oct - Nov 01
Famous for its unusual cuisine, the Red Ochre Grill in Alice Springs specialises
in Australian delicacies such as kangaroo, wallaby, emu, camel, crocodile,
barramundi and yabbies.
Anyone
for Uti pie?
Issue 17, Jun - Jul 01
Copley, on the popular route north from Adelaide towards Marree, Lake Eyre,
Oodnadatta and Birdsville, is not where you would expect to discover an appetising,
quintessentially Australian delicacy.
Faraway
Feast
Issue 15, Feb - Mar 01
Western Australia's spectacular Kimberley coast is an unusual but wonderful
location for a cooking school - with the emphasis, naturally, on fish.
Really
dinkum dining
Issue 14, Dec 00 - Jan 01
For thousands of years bush tucker was the only food eaten in Australia -
food that hopped, crawled, slithered or grew in a land populated entirely
by indigenous people.
A
Murray catch
Issue 13, Oct - Nov 00
On a visit to the area where the Murray and Darling rivers meet, OUTBACK's
nomadic chef Adrian Millman discovers both the people and the produce fed
by the rejuvenation of the Murray-Darling River system.
Desert
delicacies
Issue 12, Aug - Sep 00
When our nomadic chef Adrian Millman joined a group of journalists assigned
to test drive the new Mitsubishi Pajero range in central Australia, he found
that preparation and improvisation are pre-requisites for cooking in the
outback.
Buffalo
and cream
Issue 11, Jun - Jul 00
OUTBACK's nomadic chef Adrian Millman finds a striking
contrast between a family's two farming ventures - in Victoria and the Top
End - and prepares meals using ingredients from both.
Tycoons
of the tides
Issue 10, Apr - May 00
Victoria's coastline is teeming with seafood delicacies. OUTBACK's
nomadic chef, Adrian Millman, joined two professional fisherman to harvest
a mouth-watering catch of shellfish, rockfish and other species.
Feast
on the Finke
Issue 9, Feb - Mar 00
The toss of a coin 72 years ago by two Melbourne artists provided the inspiration
for OUTBACK's
nomadic chef Adrian Millman to visit the red centre to cook some traditional
bush tucker.
Cooking
your own goose
Issue 8, Dec 99 - Jan 00
OUTBACK's nomadic chef Adrian Millman travels to
the Cobourg Peninsula where local Aborigines hunt down magpie geese for the
main course of a Top End meal.
Big
water barbie
Issue 7, Oct - Nov 99
With justification the carp is called the "river
rabbit". Like the rabbit, it is an introduced species, causes massive environmental
damage and crowds out populations of native species. But, unlike the rabbit,
it is rarely considered suitable for the Australian dining table.
Wild
turkey without the kick
Issue 6, Aug - Sep 99
All over Kangaroo Island, natural and introduced food sources blend harmoniously.
Chick
on a stick
Issue 4, Apr - May 99
Mutton birds - a tasty dish credited with promoting good health, longevity
and freedom from colds and other ailments.
Meels
on eels
Issue 3, Feb - Mar 99
It's a very special art to cook on an open fire just like the old-timers
used to do - particularly when it's eel you're cooking.
Flinders
feral food
Issue 5, Jun - Jul 99
Developing a regional cuisine for South Australia's Flinders Ranges hasn't
been easy. But the Flinders feral food prepared by Jane Fargher and the chefs
at the Prairie Hotel at Parachilna has helped place the small hotel firmly
on the national map.
Feral
Feast
Issue 5, Jun - Jul 99
OUTBACK's "nomadic chef" visits
far western New South Wales and spit roasts a wild goat.
