Tasmanian Aboriginal bush tucker business winning hearts via the stomach
By Phoebe Hosier
Updated about 3hrs ago
Corinne Ooms and Chris Chapman say the summer bushfires have badly affected their harvest. (ABC News: Phoebe Hosier)
On a mountainous property perched in the rolling hills of the Southern Midlands, wild harvesters are foraging for this year's season of pepper berries.
Key points:
Two wild food harvesters believe a native fruit could be the next big "superfood"
Consumers are embracing Tasmanian bush food
Palawa kipli is the first Tasmanian Aboriginal food business that serves up sustainably sourced native bush food such as crickets, wallaby and wattle seed
The tiny, spicy berry is native to Tasmanian Aboriginal land — known as palawa country — and is said to have been a key ingredient in bush tucker hundreds of centuries ago.
Wild harvesters and business partners Corinne Ooms and Chris Chapman are convinced the native fruit could be the next big "superfood", but are baffled why so few Tasmanians have heard of it.
"We import all this food to Australia, yet still don't have a handle on the native foods growing in our own backyard," Ms Ooms said.
Tasmania is fertile pepper country but the pair said the state's summer bushfires had devastated supply, making this year's harvest a "hell dry" and "disappointing" one.
"It's important we get people used to saying and reading Aboriginal words," she said.
She said it also complimented dual-naming initiatives the Tasmanian Aboriginal community was trying to achieve.
"[People] are really surprised that this is the first Aboriginal owned and operated food business in Tasmania, and that gives us another opportunity to educate them about our history," she said.
"We're basically bringing Aboriginal issues to people through their mouths."
