21/06/2025
While exploring the hills near my hut, I harvested some wild âa tuber once brought to Australia by Polynesian seafarers over 5,000 years ago. Each plant produced a single, golf-ball-sized tuber rich in starch but naturally bitter.
Using simple tools like a roof tile, I grated and soaked the tubers, repeatedly rinsing out the bitterness. Once the taste was clean, I dried the starch over a fire. Some of it formed rubbery chunks; the rest I stored as flour.
Later, I made a pancake-like food by cooking the paste on a tile. The result? A clear, chewy disc that tasted remarkably like rice noodles.
With 346 calories per 100g, this ancient starch rivals wheat in energy and stores well for months. I'm now considering cultivating it nearby, as it grows wild but could yield more if tended.-
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A forgotten food, made by handâno tools, no tech, just nature.
