Hooke(d). Restoring George England Hooke’s 1905 fruit preserving book to Australian Food History
In 1905 George England Hooke published Australian Fruit Preserving. A Practical Treatise on the Best Methods With Instructions for Making – Jams, Marmalades, Jellies, Conserves, Pickles, Sauces and Chutneys etc., Bottling (or Canning), Drying (or evaporating) Fruits & Vegetables. From my experience in the Australian food history world it is generally forgotten. This article hopes to redress this.
Chocolate lovers forced to pay more for less as cocoa costs soar
Australians are paying more for chocolate – and getting smaller servings – as the industry reels from soaring cocoa bean costs, which have prompted Cadbury to double the price of its Freddo Frogs and Caramello Koalas. Strong global demand for chocolate and smaller crops, caused by unconducive weather conditions, ageing trees and crop disease, have been blamed for record cocoa bean prices this year
Indigenous science can help solve some of the great problems of our time. Here’s how
Indigenous people are considered the most researched in the world, and yet have seen the least amount of benefit. The legacy of these past practices continues to foster uncertainty and distrust of research (and researchers) by many in Indigenous communities.
4 ways to cut down on meat when dining out – and still make healthy choices
Many of us are looking for ways to eat a healthier and more sustainable diet. And one way to do this is by reducing the amount of meat we eat. That doesn’t mean you need to become a vegan or vegetarian. Our recent research shows even small changes to cut down on meat consumption could help improve health and wellbeing.
Dolphin friendly? New research shows vague environmental labelling is common on NZ seafood products
Many seafood products sold in New Zealand make environmental claims, but our new research shows most of them are too ambiguous and may serve as greenwashing. We looked into the labelling and environmental claims on packaged fish and seafood products in major New Zealand supermarkets, investigating 369 products such as canned tuna or other fish, vacuum-packed salmon and frozen fish or seafood. Just under half of the products (41.2%) we investigated contained at least one self-declared environmental claim, such as “sustainably fished”, “responsibly caught” or “dolphin friendly”.
‘Nobody wants just cheap’: Inside the rebrand of home brand groceries
When they first came out, they were positioned as being very cheap, they looked ugly, and people were often a bit embarrassed about putting home brands in their trolleys,” said retail marketing academic and industry consultant Dr Louise Grimmer. Other than selling a product at the lowest price point, little else was being offered by home brands a few decades ago. “Especially for stuff you put in your body or on your skin or stuff you give to your kids, you don’t want to buy the cheapest thing available. You want to buy the best thing you can afford, which is quite different,” said consumer psychologist and Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier.
Anzac Soup, Curried Galahs, and Sea Weed Jelly. The Western Mail’s 1938 Bush Recipe Competition
In March 1938, the Western Mail (a weekly newspaper in Western Australia) announced the opening of a ‘Bush Recipes Competition’.
Our new competition “Bush Recipes” is open from now until April 14. All recipes submitted must be taken from the natural resources of the Australian bush. Country people should find scope in this competition for their bush-craft and originality. Useful prizes are offered for entries gaining first, second and third places in the competition, which will be decided on the votes of readers in the same way as the Tight Corner contest
In this article I review the competition entries for what they tell us about Australians’ engagement with native food in the 1930’s. The caveat here is that it is only native animals, one native fruit and a seaweed for which entries were provided.
