I find it amusing that the researcher is boggled by the evidence that indigenous Australians went for high fat foods over low fat, and preferred saturated fats (for example emu eggs) rather than unsaturated fats (for example emus)
Note that many links in the article are to the research papers the article is referencing
I think the stuff linked in the article is about it
Archaeology has found sea and freshwater shellfish shells mounded very high (shell middens) so we know shellfish was a big part of people’s diets where those were available
The people who lived where Canberra is now (inland, in a series of picturesque valleys) ate kangaroo, wombat, koala, emu, emu eggs, echidna, various grubs (notably the witchetty grub), assorted lizards and snakes
We are pretty sure they made bread out of local seeds in the week or two those were available, and had a few root vegetables (smaller than a baby carrot) year around
Of course the anti meat people point at the bread, some insects eaten up north, and about five plant foods that are mostly tropical
Meanwhile a group working in indigenous health up north have had luck getting people off the sickening Australian processed food diet by getting the elders to tell them about old food culture, then promoting it
Their (tropical North Australian Aborigines’) rules are
Food is holy, respect it
Eat the meat first until you don’t want more
Eat the (traditional very low carb vegetables) when you need to be faster
Which really shoots down the “indigenous were in balance with the plants and animals and didn’t ever hurt animals” people (sure mate, tell that to diprotodon)
There are a few places where the people have connection with their traditions still, where Europeans didn’t murder them or “civilize” them. So we have some interviews with older people, and up north there’s places where the culture has been continuous, they continue to teach their children with their rock art
Ed to add: like everywhere else: meat first, plants when they were in season, there was no plant anything like modern plant foods
Australian animals pretty much aren’t on the menu aside from kangaroo. Crocodile and emu are available in some tourist places in the Northern Territory
I don’t think we’re allowed to collect roadkill either
I find it amusing that the researcher is boggled by the evidence that indigenous Australians went for high fat foods over low fat, and preferred saturated fats (for example emu eggs) rather than unsaturated fats (for example emus)
Note that many links in the article are to the research papers the article is referencing
Is there a good research of the traditional Australian indigenous diet as it existed before westernizing?
I think the stuff linked in the article is about it
Archaeology has found sea and freshwater shellfish shells mounded very high (shell middens) so we know shellfish was a big part of people’s diets where those were available
The people who lived where Canberra is now (inland, in a series of picturesque valleys) ate kangaroo, wombat, koala, emu, emu eggs, echidna, various grubs (notably the witchetty grub), assorted lizards and snakes
We are pretty sure they made bread out of local seeds in the week or two those were available, and had a few root vegetables (smaller than a baby carrot) year around
Of course the anti meat people point at the bread, some insects eaten up north, and about five plant foods that are mostly tropical
Meanwhile a group working in indigenous health up north have had luck getting people off the sickening Australian processed food diet by getting the elders to tell them about old food culture, then promoting it
Their (tropical North Australian Aborigines’) rules are
Which really shoots down the “indigenous were in balance with the plants and animals and didn’t ever hurt animals” people (sure mate, tell that to diprotodon)
There are a few places where the people have connection with their traditions still, where Europeans didn’t murder them or “civilize” them. So we have some interviews with older people, and up north there’s places where the culture has been continuous, they continue to teach their children with their rock art
Ed to add: like everywhere else: meat first, plants when they were in season, there was no plant anything like modern plant foods
How common is native Australian ASFs in the market places? Is it easy to buy wombat?
Australian animals pretty much aren’t on the menu aside from kangaroo. Crocodile and emu are available in some tourist places in the Northern Territory
I don’t think we’re allowed to collect roadkill either