Native Australian ingredients have been eaten for tens of thousands of years. The fact that they’re only now appearing in mainstream Australian cooking says something about our relationship with this country’s food heritage. But better late than never.

Here’s a practical guide to getting started with native ingredients in your home kitchen — where to buy them, what to do with them, and how to approach this with appropriate respect.

Why bother

The practical reasons are straightforward. Native Australian ingredients offer flavour profiles you genuinely can’t get anywhere else. Lemon myrtle has a citrus intensity that makes actual lemons seem mild. Wattleseed has a roasted, coffee-chocolate nuttiness that’s unlike any other seed. Mountain pepper delivers heat with an earthy complexity that black pepper can’t match.

These plants evolved in this specific environment. Using them connects your cooking to the place you live in a way that imported ingredients never will.

But there’s a more important reason. Indigenous Australians developed the food knowledge around these ingredients over millennia. Using them acknowledges that food tradition and, when done properly, supports Indigenous communities economically.

Where to buy

Supermarkets. Coles and Woolworths now stock some native ingredients, mostly dried spices. Lemon myrtle, wattleseed, and bush tomato are the easiest to find. Quality varies — check the packaging date.

Specialist suppliers. Companies like Outback Pride, Australian Native Foods, and Kakadu Plum Co supply directly online. These tend to be higher quality and often have stronger Indigenous ownership or partnership arrangements.

Farmers markets. Some markets have stalls selling native ingredients, often from growers who can tell you exactly how to use them. Melbourne’s food markets occasionally have native food specialists.

Growing your own. Lemon myrtle trees grow well in many Australian climates. Native mint, warrigal greens, and saltbush are easy to grow in gardens. Several native food nurseries sell plants online.

The starter kit: five ingredients to try first

1. Lemon myrtle (dried leaf)

Flavour: Intensely citrusy, almost like lemongrass and kaffir lime had a child. A little goes a long way.

How to use it: Add to shortbread or biscuit dough. Infuse in cream for desserts. Mix into marinades for fish or chicken. Steep in hot water for a simple tea. Sprinkle on scrambled eggs.

Substitute for: Any recipe calling for lemon zest. Use about a third of the amount — it’s potent.

2. Wattleseed (roasted, ground)

Flavour: Nutty, chocolatey, with hints of coffee and hazelnut. Complex and warming.

How to use it: Add to chocolate desserts. Mix into granola. Stir into porridge. Add to rubs for red meat. Make a wattleseed panna cotta or ice cream.

Works well with: Chocolate, coffee, caramel, cream, lamb, kangaroo.

3. Bush tomato (ground)

Flavour: Earthy, tangy, slightly caramel-like. Not much like regular tomatoes, despite the name.

How to use it: Add to sauces and gravies. Mix into bolognese or chilli. Use in spice rubs for meat. Stir into dips. Excellent in a barbecue sauce.

Note: Also called akudjura. Needs rehydrating if using whole dried ones.

4. Mountain pepper (pepperberry, ground)

Flavour: Hot, initially similar to black pepper but with a more complex, herbal finish. The heat builds slowly and lingers.

How to use it: Use anywhere you’d use black pepper. Particularly good on steaks, in stews, and in cheese-based dishes. Start with less than you think — the heat sneaks up.

Note: Mountain pepper leaves are milder than the berries and work well in salads.

5. Saltbush (dried leaf)

Flavour: Salty, herbaceous, slightly mineral. Reminds me of a cross between sage and spinach with added salinity.

How to use it: Use as a salt substitute in cooking. Crush and add to bread dough. Roll goat cheese in it. Add to lamb dishes. Works brilliantly as a coating for roasted potatoes.

Doing it respectfully

This part matters. These ingredients carry cultural significance for Indigenous Australians. Using them in your kitchen is fine — encouraged, even. But there are principles worth following:

Buy from Indigenous-owned or Indigenous-partnered businesses where possible. This ensures economic benefit flows to the communities that hold the traditional knowledge.

Acknowledge the origin. When you serve dishes with native ingredients, mention that these are Indigenous Australian foods with thousands of years of history. It costs nothing and it matters.

Don’t claim expertise you don’t have. Using lemon myrtle in your cooking doesn’t make you an authority on Indigenous food culture. Be a student, not a teacher.

Avoid “discovery” language. These ingredients weren’t waiting to be discovered. They were being used long before colonial Australia existed.

Start with one or two ingredients. Get comfortable with them. Then branch out. The flavours will change how you cook, and that’s a good thing.