The
majestic Bunya Bunya Pine has a very distinctive dome shaped crown which
overlooks the rainforest canopy. It produces very large spiky pinecones -
football sized and each one can hold up to 100 nuts. The local aboriginals
feasted on the fresh nuts, and some tribes even had rights to certain trees, they were so prized as a
tasty, nutritious food source. Every 3 years clans from many miles away would gather in the BunyaMountains in South East Queensland for
the bunya feast.
The
Bunya Pine is also an excellent timber tree, making it very useful as a long
term income producer. Bunya Pine is presently being used in the guitar making
industry by innovators Cole Clark Guitars Check them out here: http://www.coleclarkguitars.com/timbers.asp
Described
as “one of the true delights of our country”, Bunya Nuts are absolutely
delicious when roasted.Bunya Nuts are one of the most versatile and
useful of our
bush foods: they can be sliced fresh for soups, savoury dishes and desserts.
They can be pureed and made into a “nut meat”, and used in patties, cakes,
pastries, pesto etc. They make a fabulous vegetarian burger.
AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS
FOOD Food ID: 15A10039
Scientific Name:
Araucaria bidwillii
Nutrient Value per
100g: Minerals:
Energy
252kj
Calcium 7mg
Moisture
43.9g
Copper 3.0mg
Nitrogen
1.76g
Iron 2.1mg
Protein
11.0g
Magnesium 51mg
Fat
1.0g
Potassium 229mg
Available
Carbohydrate 0.0g Sodium 5mg
Total Dietary Fibre
3.5g Zinc 0.7mg
Glycaemic
Index: 49
Available
fresh whole in season (February), frozen de-husked at other times.