Year 11 students at FCJ College have been learning about native flora and fauna as part of a VCE food studies program assisted by Butchulla woman Avalon Karatau.
On Friday, June 2, students had an opportunity to cook a variety of delicious dishes all of which include native, where possible Victorian, ingredients.
Ms Karatau said the youngsters had been engaged, responsive and excited about taking the theory they had learned and using it to create some familiar dishes with an Aboriginal twist.
“I have to think Nikki James who is a cultural educator out at Winton Wetlands for getting me involved,” Ms Karatau said.
“I want to recognise that I’m not Yorta Yorta.
“The Yorta Yorta nation are the eight clans that are recognised in this area.
“They said to me ‘you’ve got something we don’t have here, and we are happy to sign you off to do these things on country’.”
FCJ College VCE food technology teacher Leanne Starr said the program had been successful.
“I’m teaching a unit 2 food studies and in VCE study design we are currently learning about native ingredients,” Ms Starr said.
“We’re using those ingredients in contemporary cooking.
“The kids learn about the fact that Aboriginal people were farmers amongst other things.
“And we invited Avalon to help out as she’s an expert in native ingredients.
“Today they’re cooking a ceviche, a raw fish cooked in acid, in this case lemon juice.
“We’re using native ingredients such as onion grass.
“They’re also doing Kangaroo skewers, and a Lemon Myrtle cheesecake.
“They are also making chocolate biscuits using native juniper berries.”
Ms Starr said part of FCJs professional standards was it aimed to incorporate First Nations culture in all subjects.
“So it’s a part of our responsibility and a big section of the VCE unit 1 course,” she said.
“The students have been fantastic. It’s been really interactive. They were asked to nominate an elder male and female from the group.
“We were then introduced to all the traditional tools and equipment, and how they’re used.
“Avalon bought a lot of artefacts in from her country, and once initiated students could then touch the equipment.
“They did a sensory activity with the different ingredients where they tasted it then talked about what it tasted like and what recipe they might use it in — before they knew what it was. That was really good.
“Avalon also talked with them about the various health benefits of the ingredients, as well as the sustainability and the environmental impacts.”
Ms Starr said the interactive, hands-on part of the course was where the real learning took place.
“Not only do they learn about native foods, they get to feast on it all afterwards.”