Aboriginal cookbook promotes better nutrition

Kukumbat gudwan daga

‘Really cooking good food'

Kukumbat gudwan daga - Really cooking good food was launched recently in the Northern Territory. The launch day featured a cook off between neighboring Jawoyn communities using recipes from the cookbook and relying only on wood fuelled woks.

The cookbook was put together with the assistance of The Fred Hollows Foundation and includes recipes for a diverse range of dishes, from spaghetti to kangaroo tail stew.

Developing the recipes for the book was a collaborative effort between women from remote Indigenous communities of the Jawoyn region, a chef, and Alison Lorraine, a nutritionist from The Fred Hollows Foundation.

"The women's centres have created a nutritious cookbook that uses local ingredients and caters for up to 100 healthy meals! This is a fantastic way to improve the nutrition for people receiving meals on wheels and school lunch programs," said Alison. 

The recipes support the reality of cooking in communities that can be as far away as five hours from the nearest supermarket. The cookbook only includes ingredients that are readily available in remote communities, including those popular with the local people, such as kangaroo and fish.  

The highlight of the launch held at Banatjarl, land south of Katherine, was a cook-off between women from various communities. The meals were cooked on bush woks using recipes from the cookbook. The result was an absolute taste sensation of Thai Chicken Curry, Beef Stew and Kangaroo Stir fry - all served with rice and a healthy salad.

Shellie Morris, an Indigenous musician and ambassador for The Foundation, and Miliwanga Sandy (Milli), an elder and strong advocate from the Wugularr community, composed and performed a song in Kriol to celebrate the cookbook and how it will help Indigenous communities.

Milli said the cookbook will "help us to avoid illnesses like diabetes, heart problems - all the problems that our people have been facing for many, many generations."

The cookbook also applies to other settings that require healthy meals to be prepared in bulk. Megan Ferguson, Nutritionist, Development & Policy for Outback Stores states:

"Outback Stores is including your cookbook in the company's Takeaway Manual. Outback Stores operates in 28 communities across Australia, mostly in the Northern Territory. Your cookbook will be used in the 15 sites where school and aged care programs are provided by the store and where takeaway food is sold. 

"The resource you have developed is ideal because it creates healthy meals, shows the steps for making meals for large numbers of people and uses locally available products. Thank you for this extremely useful resource which will help Outback Stores work with communities towards achieving better health outcomes," said Megan.

Kukumbat gudwan daga - Really cooking good food can be purchased online from Batchelorpress.

ABC Radio Australia: Presenter Fran Kelly interviews Joy McLaughlin, The Foundation's Indigenous Programs Manager.

The vision of The Fred Hollows Foundation is of a world where no one is needlessly blind, and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and life expectancy as other Australians.

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For interviews or more information phone The Fred Hollows Foundation:

Joy McLaughlin, Indigenous Programs Manager - 0409 991 762 or email jmclaughlin@hollows.org

Alison Lorraine on 0448 227 422 or email alorraine@hollows.org