Australia is home to all kinds of quirky bush tucker, as readers of this blog have probably seen. Whether our ‘alien’ nectar-bearing Grevillea flowers, the bright red shells of the peanut tree (Sterculia quadrifida), or the well-protected seed of the bottle tree (Brachychiton spp.), there's something weird and wonderful in every season.
Unbeknownst to many, including most non-aboriginal Australians, once every three years our esteemed, Paleolithic bunya pines (Araucaria bidwilli) begin to drop their enormous cones en masse. 2024 is such a year in the bunya's slow cycle of life. The tri-annual affair has been well known for millennia; First Nations tribes in the south-east Queensland region (particularly Baruŋgam country, on whose land I was born in 1983) would send out message sticks to surrounding tribes that the bunya feasts were due to begin within six months and they should commence the trek to various mountain ranges and bunya pine forests in the region in preparation.
Native to that region of south east Queensland, the trees are gargantuan, often towering to 50 metres (165 ft) with their distictive, egg-shaped canopies which are easily spotted above the surrounding trees. The foliage is prickly and will easily pierce human skin; old leaves scatter beneath the trees, making it a hazardous approach for the barefooted bushman! The trees were prized by colonial-era botanists and collectors, thus were subsequently planted all around Australia and internationally, especially in public parks, but only female or monoecius trees will develop the esteemed cones.
The cones are the prize target. Ranging between 2-10 kilograms (4.4 to 22 lbs), they can prove potentially damaging or fatal projectiles when loosened unwarily from their 30 to 50 metre-high lofts by the summer feasting gang-gang and sulphur-crested cockatoos. But Australia’s naughtiest birds play a key part in making these tasty morsels available for our collection every third year.
Preparation is, fortunately, a relatively simple affair. Split the cone open; fresh cones still dripping with white resin should be dried for a week or two to ease this step. Remove each scale and push the nut out; each scale will contain 0-1 nuts each (many scales will be empty). Yields are around 30%; a 3 kg cone will typically yield 1 kg of nuts.
The next step is your choice of preparation: raw, boil or roast. Raw nuts may be cracked open with a rock, hammer or cut (carefully!) with a knife and enjoyed as is. I find the coconut flavour slightly more pronounced in the raw nuts, but they tend to be a bit grainy in texture.
To boil, place the unshelled nuts into an adequate amount of water and boil for 30 minutes. The water should turn red and it is potable as a tea, so don't throw it out! Cut the nuts in half, scoop the flesh out of the shell and enjoy!
My preferred method: cut each nut almost in half, then bake in the oven for 25-30 mins at 180 C (355 F). The shells will become brittle and can be simply peeled off with the hand and the golden result enjoyed immediately! The taste is, unsurprisingly, like pine nuts with a hint of coconut and can be used in many dishes in the place of pine nuts.
One final note: some folks report stomach upset upon consuming the cotyledon (tiny unsprouted plant inside the nut) and remove them. I did not have any issues consuming them at all, so let your gut reaction to this top bush tucker be your guide.
I will endeavour to do a proper archive post about the bunya nut in the coming weeks, but since it is peak season right now (January through March) and the next season will not be until 2027, I wanted to rush this shorter version out for you to share with your friends and acquaintances.
Good luck in your search for one of Australia's more interesting bush foods.
Until next time!
Cheers.
Must be different 3 year cycles for different trees. There are bunya nuts available every year here in North Queensland, perhaps not from the same trees maybe?
Fascinating! So these take the three full years to develop from the time of pollination and all of the trees are in sync?