– Arrernte sweet foods and drinks:
– Ngkwarle athenge arlperle – Ironwood tree gum
– Ngkwarle alkerampwe – Mulga tree gum
– Ngkwarle arlperrampwe – Whitewood tree gum
– Ngkwarle atnyerampwe – Supplejack tree gum
– Ngkwarle akikarre – Witchetty bush gum
– Other sweet foods and drinks:
– Banksia: Flower spike in water for a sweet drink
– Grevillea: Nectar eaten or mixed with water
– Xanthorrhoea: Sweet drink from nectar soaked in water
– See also:
– Food portal
– References:
– Turner, Margaret-Mary, Arrernte Foods: Foods from Central Australia, IAD Press, Alice Springs, 1994, ISBN0-949659-76-2, pp1-10
Australian Aboriginal people have many ways to source sweet foods. The four main types of sweet foods gathered – apart from ripe fruit – were:
- honey from ants and bees (sugarbag, see below)
- leaf scale (honeydew – lerps)
- tree sap
- flower nectar
In some parts of Australia, these customs are still used today, particularly in Central Australia. Foods collected can be eaten directly as a sweet or made into a sweet drink.