Bunya Nut
Plant Description
Botanical name: Araucaria bidwillii.
The Bunya Pine is a large tall tree to 40 m high with a straight trunk, rounded top, prickly leaves, and separate male and female flowers. The female cones, up to 300 mm long and weighing up to 10 kg, contain the edible seeds. A large harvest occurs approximately every three years, January to March.Uses
Bunya harvest was a time of feasting and ceremonies. Aboriginal tribes headed for the Bunya mountains where each tribe had ownership of particular trees. The tribes gathered in designated meeting places and any hostilities were suspended. Fruit was gathered and taken home.
The fruit was eaten raw, roasted, or pounded to flour to make a kind of bread.
Today, the nuts can still be eaten raw when fresh, or boiled to make it easier to extract the nut from the hard shell. The nuts can then be sliced or pureed and added to desserts and savoury dishes. The nuts' flour can also be used to make breads and cakes
More information:
Bunya Pine trees
A Bunya Pine Cone. The seeds are inside. Both photos courtesy Dot Crane.
