chapter 5 - food tech

unit 1

Who are First Nations peoples?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians; also referred to as Indigenous peoples.

What is firestick farming?

Regularly burning vegetation to facilitate hunting and alter plant/animal species in an area.

What are native foods?

Foods native to Australia including animals, seafood, reptiles, insects, fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

What is food security?

When all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times.

What is food sovereignty?

The right of people to culturally appropriate food produced sustainably, and to define their food systems.

Define stewardship.

Careful and responsible management of resources or the environment.

What does it mean to be resilient?

The ability to recover or withstand difficult situations.

What does equitable mean?

Fair distribution to ensure positive outcomes for all.

What is biodiversity?

The variety of plant and animal life in a habitat or the world.

How long have Indigenous Australians lived in Australia?

At least 60,000 years.

How were Indigenous Australians originally perceived in terms of food systems?

As hunter-gatherers, but later recognized as having agricultural systems.

What are some land management practices used by Indigenous Australians?

Burning, planting, irrigating, trading, and preserving biodiversity.

Why was food sovereignty important to Indigenous Australians?

It was tied to culture, identity, resilience, and sustainability.

What is "bush tucker"?

A modern term for traditional Indigenous Australian foods.

What did the Indigenous diet typically include?

Varied protein (fish, kangaroo, reptiles), plant foods (yams, seeds), and fruits.

Why were animal foods eaten in large amounts during feasts?

To store energy as fat for future food shortages.

What were staple plant foods?

Yams, bush tomatoes, figs, quandong.

What makes the Kakadu plum unique?

It has the highest Vitamin C concentration of any known plant.

How were macadamia nuts used?

High-energy source, collected in dilly bags, eaten raw or roasted.

What is wattleseed used for?

Ground into flour for damper; high in protein, low glycaemic index.

What is mountain pepper used for?

Leaves and berries added for a spicy flavor in cooking.

What is lemon myrtle known for?

High citral content; used for flavoring and as a sweetener.

What were some Indigenous cooking methods?

Roasting, steaming, boiling in bark troughs or shells, bush ovens.

What is a bush oven?

Food is sealed in a hole with hot rocks for slow cooking.

What is yandying?

A tossing process to remove seeds from chaff using wind.

How were seeds prepared for consumption?

Ground into paste, sometimes washed in streams to remove toxins.

What is a woomera?

A spear-throwing device that extends throwing distance and power.

What were boomerangs used for?

Hunting small or disabling larger animals; sizes varied by region.

What tools were used to prepare food?

Graters (bark), grinding stones, dilly bags, and sand pits.

What is stone technology?

Tools made with sharp-edged stones for food and skin preparation.

What is firestick farming?

Controlled burning to regenerate plant life and attract animals.

How did Indigenous Australians manage food resources?

Harvested sustainably, left roots in the ground to regrow.

How did they find water?

Using plant roots, frogs, dew, hollow trees, and digging wells.

What roles did women play in Indigenous communities?

Gathering food, cooking, raising children, and social duties.

What roles did men perform?

Hunting large animals, protecting the group, teaching boys.

What were nets and baskets used for?

Carrying food, fishing, and storage; made from plant materials.

How was wood used?

Tools like digging sticks, spears, and shields; fire-making tools.

What are canoes made of and used for?

Made from bark; used for fishing and transport.

What does "semi-nomadic" mean in Indigenous context?

Moving seasonally to avoid overexploitation of land.

How was food distributed in Indigenous communities?

Based on age, status, and traditional law; often during ceremonies.

When did the First Fleet arrive and what did it bring?

1788; brought convicts, salted meat, seeds, livestock.

What challenges did settlers face?

Poor soil, lack of farming skills, harsh climate, poor communication.

Why did crops and livestock fail initially?

Crops weren’t suited to soil/climate; livestock weren’t adapted.

How did settlers respond to water shortages?

Built dams, drilled for water, and diverted flows for irrigation.

What caused misunderstandings with Indigenous people?

Language barriers, lack of respect for land and spiritual sites.

What are native foods?

Foods native to Australia, including animals, birds, fish, seafood, reptiles, insects, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and nuts.

What animal-based foods did Indigenous Australians eat?

Fish, kangaroo, emu, goanna, witchetty grubs, possums, yabbies, mussels, birds, eggs, crocodile, turtles, green ants.

What plant-based foods were common in the Indigenous diet?

Yams, bush tomatoes, quandong, Kakadu plum, figs, native greens, macadamia nuts, acacia seeds, and bush vegetables.

What traditional flavourings did Indigenous Australians use?

Wattleseed, lemon myrtle, mountain pepper, nectar, honey (from sugarbag bees and ants), gum from eucalyptus trees.

What impact did traditional Indigenous foods have on health?

Their diet was nutrient-dense, low in sugar, high in protein and fibre, and supported physical resilience and strong immunity.

What were common food preparation tools used by Indigenous Australians?

Spears, woomeras, boomerangs, coolamons, grinding stones, dilly bags, bark troughs, graters from bark or grass.

What was a coolamon used for?

A shallow wooden dish used for collecting, carrying food, seeds, water, or even babies.

How was food shared among Indigenous groups?

According to cultural law and elder instruction; food distribution had social and ceremonial purposes.

What specialist knowledge was needed to manage the land and food sources?

Seasonal migration patterns, sustainable harvesting, plant regrowth techniques, firestick farming, and water-finding skills.

What is firestick farming?

A method of land management involving controlled burns to promote new plant growth and attract animals.

How did First Nations people find water in arid environments?

By tapping tree roots, collecting dew, using hollow trees, water-holding frogs, and building small dams.

What is the Kakadu plum known for nutritionally?

It has the highest concentration of Vitamin C of any known plant and is used today in health and culinary products.

How was wattleseed traditionally used?

Collected, dried, ground into flour, and made into bush bread or damper cooked in coals.

What were some sustainable practices used by Indigenous Australians?

Leaving roots for regrowth, controlled burning, following seasonal food cycles, not overharvesting one area.

What are some examples of Indigenous food processing methods?

Grinding seeds, straining vegetables, roasting in fire pits, steaming in earth ovens, using resin-bound stone tools.

What foods did the First Non-Indigenous Settlers bring to Australia?

Livestock (pigs, chickens, sheep, cows), flour, rice, salted meat, alcohol, seeds, vine cuttings, and vegetables like wheat and corn.

What were major challenges faced by settlers in establishing a food supply?

Poor soil, unfamiliar climate, unsuitable crops/animals, lack of farming skills, pest problems, and poor communication with Indigenous peoples.

Why did early farming efforts by settlers fail?

Seeds often didn’t survive the voyage or germinate in sandy soil; European farming methods were unsuited to Australian conditions.

How did the settlers eventually establish agriculture?

By exploring inland for arable land (e.g., Rose Hill), adapting crops, and bringing in skilled farmers like James Ruse.

What animals brought by settlers did not thrive?

English sheep breeds struggled with Australia’s dry climate and poor pasture; some animals like rabbits became pests.

What food-related misunderstandings occurred between settlers and Indigenous peoples?

Settlers didn’t recognise Indigenous food systems and land management; they assumed land was unowned due to no fences or farms.

Why was water a significant challenge for early settlers?

Many areas lacked fresh water. They had to build dams and bores, especially during droughts.

How did settlers respond to unfamiliar Indigenous food sources?

Often rejected them, although some tried foods like kangaroo or wombat out of desperation or curiosity.