Grilled bogong moths from the great gatherings
Small, fatty moths, stripped of their wings and grilled on hot sand until they give off a buttery hazelnut flavour. They are eaten as is or crushed into a rich paste. The festive dish of the great summer ascents.
Small, fatty moths, stripped of their wings and grilled on hot sand until they give off a buttery hazelnut flavour. They are eaten as is or crushed into a rich paste. The festive dish of the great summer ascents.
See, child of the nations I have shaped: when summer sets the sky ablaze, I gather my peoples to the heights where the moths sleep in countless clouds. There, they are passed over the burning sand, the wing removed and the fatty body kept — and your mouth then knows the very taste of the abundance I have placed in the mountain rock. Eat with your neighbour from the other clan, for this is why I made you climb together.
- •Bogong moths (harvested from mountain crevices) — a full handful (fatty protein base)
- •Hot sand / fire ash — the hearth bed (cooking medium)
Grilled bogong moths from the great gatherings
Small, fatty moths, stripped of their wings and grilled on hot sand until they give off a buttery hazelnut flavour. They are eaten as is or crushed into a rich paste. The festive dish of the great summer ascents.
Why this dish? Baiame is the Father who gathers the peoples: every summer, the clans of Wiradjuri country would climb together to the heights where bogong moths gather by the millions. These great gatherings of celebration, trade and initiation were held under his Law — the fatty moth was the dish that sealed the alliance of nations.
See, child of the nations I have shaped: when summer sets the sky ablaze, I gather my peoples to the heights where the moths sleep in countless clouds. There, they are passed over the burning sand, the wing removed and the fatty body kept — and your mouth then knows the very taste of the abundance I have placed in the mountain rock. Eat with your neighbour from the other clan, for this is why I made you climb together.
Ingredients (period version)
- Bogong moths (harvested from mountain crevices) — a full handful (fatty protein base)
- Hot sand / fire ash — the hearth bed (cooking medium)
Ingredients
- Mealworms or small edible crickets (farmed) — 120 g (ethical and available moth substitute)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
- Neutral oil — 1 teaspoon (cooking fat)
Method
- Heat a dry pan, then add a drop of oil.
- Toss in the edible insects and stir constantly over high heat.
- Grill for 3 to 4 minutes until golden, dry and crispy, giving off a nutty aroma.
- Lightly salt and serve warm, to nibble, or crush in a mortar into a spreadable paste.
How it was made : Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) migrate each summer by the millions to the Australian Alps to aestivate in the cool rocks. Aboriginal peoples of the southeast gathered there for great festive and initiation assemblies. Moths were collected by smoke, grilled in hot sand, then winnowed to remove wings and legs; their very fatty bodies were sometimes pounded and stored as cakes. It was a feast food, rich in energy.
The contemporary twist : Crispy fire-roasted insects with salt, served in small bark cups — a nod to appetiser plates rediscovering entomophagy.
Sources : Josephine Flood, The Moth Hunters: Aboriginal Prehistory of the Australian Alps (1980) · Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu (2014)
Baiame · Charactorium