Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Aboriginal Lore/Answer Key"

Revision as of 08:04, 20 August 2006

Bush bread refers to the traditional bread made by Australian Aborigines for many thousands of years.

Aboriginal grinding stones - a pestle and mortar - vital in making flours for breads.

With the arrival of Europeans and pre-milled white flour, this traditional bread-making process all but disappeared, although the tradition of cooking bread in hot coals continues.

Bread-making was traditionally a women's task. It involved collecting seasonal grasses or nuts, and preparing these into a flour or a dough. It was generally carried out by several women at once, since it was quite a labour-intensive process.

Bread-making from grains

Seeds of grains were collected. Seeds varied depending on the time of year, and the area in Australia. In Central Australia, native millet were spinifex were commonly used grains. [Wattleseed]] was also often used in the mix.

In north Western Australia, around the Kimberley region, Aboriginal women observed that, after the dry season, many seeds would gather around the opening of ants' nests. The ants husked the seed for them, and the women were able to collect this seed.

Making the flour

The grain was then winnowed, often using the coolamon, the multi-purpose carrying vessel used by women. Once the grain was winnowed, it was ground using a millstone, to create a flour. Millstones have been discovered which prove to be as old as 50,000 years. The flour was then mixed with water to make a dough and placed in the ashes for baking. The results could be small buns, known today as johnny cakes, or a large loaf, known as damper. Damper appears to be a mix of this traditional style of breadmaking and European breadmaking.

The dough could also be eaten raw. Cooking was a good way to prepare the bread if the group were about to travel for some time.

Damper is cooked in hot coals in the way traditional Aboriginal bread has been for eons.

Bread-making from other plant products

Bread could also be made from roots and corms of plants. In the Top End of Australia, people such as Yolngu used the lotus root. The root was ground, then mixed to a paste to make the bread. In Queensland, the people of the Mount Tamborine area, used the Bunya Pine cone, which is endemic to that area, in this way to make bread.

Some names for Aboriginal bread

Bunup

References

Bush Bread artwork
Grass seed artwork
Aboriginal Technology
Australian History
Peterson, Nicholas, Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land, Melbourne University Press ISBN 0522850634

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Australian Aborigines]] had a history of '''making [[bread]]''' for many thousands of years – commonly called ''bush bread''. [[Image:Aboriginal grinding stones.jpg|thumb|250px|Aboriginal grinding stones - a pestle and mortar - vital in making flours for breads.]]
+'''Bush bread''' refers to the traditional [[bread]] made by [[Australian Aborigines]] for many thousands of years. [[Image:Aboriginal grinding stones.jpg|thumb|250px|Aboriginal grinding stones - a pestle and mortar - vital in making flours for breads.]]
-With the arrival of Europeans and pre-milled white [[flour]], this traditional bread-making process all but disappeared, although the tradition of cooking bread in hot coals continues.
+With the arrival of Europeans and pre-[[mill]]ed white [[flour]], this traditional bread-making process all but disappeared, although the tradition of cooking bread in hot coals continues.
 Bread-making was traditionally a women's task. It involved collecting seasonal grasses or nuts, and preparing these into a flour or a dough. It was generally carried out by several women at once, since it was quite a labour-intensive process.
 ===Bread-making from grains===
-Seeds of grains were collected. Seeds varied depending on the time of year, and the area in Australia. In [[Central Australia]], [[native millet]], [[spinifex]] and [[wattleseed]] were commonly used grains.
+Seeds of grains were collected. Seeds varied depending on the time of year, and the area in Australia. In [[Central Australia]], [[native millet]] were [[spinifex]] were commonly used grains. [Wattleseed]] was also often used in the mix.
-In north [[Western Australia]], around the [[Kimberley]] region, Aboriginal women observed that, after the dry season, many seeds would gather around the opening of [[ant]]s' nests. The ants [[husk]]ed the seed for them, and they were able to collect this seed.
+In north [[Western Australia]], around the [[Kimberley]] region, Aboriginal women observed that, after the dry season, many seeds would gather around the opening of [[ant]]s' nests. The ants [[husk]]ed the seed for them, and the women were able to collect this seed.
+====Making the flour====
 The grain was then [[winnowing|winnow]]ed, often using the [[coolamon]], the multi-purpose carrying vessel used by women. Once the grain was winnowed, it was ground using a millstone, to create a flour. Millstones have been discovered which prove to be as old as 50,000 years. The flour was then mixed with water to make a [[dough]] and placed in the ashes for baking. The results could be small buns, known today as [[johnny cake]]s, or a large loaf, known as [[damper (food)|damper]]. Damper appears to be a mix of this traditional style of breadmaking and European breadmaking.