Australia’s indigenous ingredients belong on shelves and in our everyday lives, says Orana chef JOCK ZONFRILLO. How to get there?
There’s an Italian side to my family and a Scottish side. I enjoy the simple act of eating boiled potatoes and mince because I understand the Scottish culture. Likewise, I understand the whole ruckus that is a family meal for Italians. I understand why there’s spaghetti on the walls and why people are always yelling. This has always been the missing link for me in Australia. If you don’t understand the culture of Australian people, and the traditional owners of this land, how can you begin to understand the food? And what it might become?
The first time I visited Australia was for a year in 1994. At the time, I had been cooking in dark and rainy London, working the three-star grind, 20 hours a day. I’d seen advertisements for Australia and it looked amazing. The beaches and blue sky – it seemed like a holiday every day. I came out for 12 months and worked at Forty One in Sydney. Wherever I’d worked before – including during my apprenticeship – we used the food around us. Back in Scotland when I was an apprentice at Turnberry hotel, my chef de partie taught me how to stalk deer in the forest, for example. He showed me which mushrooms, mosses and weeds you could eat and we’d construct a dish with what we’d collected. My expectation was that Australia wouldn’t be any different. There’s a culture here that’s 60,000 years old and, in my mind at least, Australians were élite foragers.
That first year in Sydney I never met an Aboriginal man or woman. When I went back to the UK, where I stayed for five years, I had a lot of time to think about that. I felt guilty about not having participated in the Indigenous culture at all. It may not have presented itself to me, but I also didn’t get off my arse and go out and find it.
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From personal experience
Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.
Kimberley Moulton
Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.
Tom Wallace
We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.
Best in class
The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)
A taste of refuge
Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.
BE OUR GUEST
Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation
Barcelona BUZZ
A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.
HEATHCOTE BOUND
MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.
The art of...relishing restaurants
Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner
HEART AND SOUL
Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.