Dr Laurel Evelyn Dyson

Research Centre for Human Centred Technology Design, University of Technology, Sydney

How to cook a galah: celebrating Australia's culinary heritage

In 2002 a history of Australian cookery How to cook a galah was published by Thomas Lothian of Melbourne. This represented the result of many years of research from my work in the Humanities. When I began the research I was immediately struck by how marginalized Indigenous culture was and how, as a result, Australian culture as a whole was weakened and racked with cultural cringe. My investigation showed that in fact non-Indigenous Australians had learnt much from Indigenous Australians and that many mainstream Australian traditions had originated in Indigenous culture, but that this had been forgotten or ignored. In the book many myths are dispelled and new facts revealed about how the food we eat today has evolved.

The book is part history, part cookbook, partly a compendium of stories, quotes and anecdotes from old diaries, memoirs and oral records from Australians of all walks of life as well as visitors to this country. It is a feast for all food lovers, full of food lore and cookery traditions from the first Australians, through colonial times down to the present day. It is illustrated with old photographs and paintings, some of them never before published, which evoke the past and the richness of our culinary heritage. How to cook a galah is for all those who would like to learn more about Australia and Australian food and history, and is for anyone who enjoys reading about how people used to live and eat – their kitchens, their ingredients, their cooking methods.

Significance of Research

The book represents a major contribution to research into Australian culture and into Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations. It is the first history of Australian cookery to acknowledge the debt of non-Indigenous Australians to Indigenous culture and to trace continuities between ancient and modern Australia. It represents a pushing back of the timeline beyond 1788 and a firm statement that Indigenous Australians are and will always be a central part of Australian culture and identity. Important insights include the origins in Indigenous cooking of modern damper and the Great Aussie Barbecue.

National Recognition

The book has received national recognition with 31 reviews and 13 interviews. Two of the reviewers (Matt Preston of The Age and Patricia Crotty of Quotidian) have described it as an ‘important book’ Former academic Patricia Crotty states that ‘it stands out from other Australian books which traverse similar territory … because of the place she [the author] gives Aboriginal food and cookery’ (Quotidian, November 2002, available at http://www.quotidian.net/ Book%20Reviews.html). Well-known Australian cookery expert and National Living Treasure Margaret Fulton OAM describes it as:

‘A real revelation – both fascinating and entertaining. How to cook a galah investigates our roots, what we would have learnt from the Indigenous people and how we have been shaped by the many communities who have settled on our shores … It gives us a clear picture of why Australia is now considered a force in world food.’

How do you cook a galah?

You will have to obtain a copy to find out. Check with your local library or bookshop. The recommended retail price is Au$29.95. In Sydney, Dymocks (George Street), Abbeys (York Street), The Constant Reader (Crows Nest) and Gleebooks (Glebe) usually stock copies. Or you can contact the author.

Or you can buy it over the Web from Amazon.com or other online book sellers.