Seed and Wattleseed Ashcake
A dense ashcake made from ground seeds and roasted wattleseed with a hazelnut and cocoa aroma (no cocoa!). Bitter and deep, sweetened with wild honey: the snack that sticks to the belly on the trail.
A dense ashcake made from ground seeds and roasted wattleseed with a hazelnut and cocoa aroma (no cocoa!). Bitter and deep, sweetened with wild honey: the snack that sticks to the belly on the trail.
When you follow the creeks away from my waterhole, you carry the seedcakes. The seeds of grasses and acacia, ground between two stones, mixed with a little water, cooked under the ash: it sticks to the belly and travels well. The taste is dark, almost bitter, sweetened with wild honey. Eat it on the trail—and come back to see me at the billabong, if you dare.
- •Wild grass seeds (mitchell grass, kangaroo grass) — several handfuls (base flour)
- •Roasted acacia seeds (wattleseed) — a handful (flavor and binder)
- •Water — as needed (dough)
- •Wild honey (sugarbag), optional — a little (sweetness)
Seed and Wattleseed Ashcake
A dense ashcake made from ground seeds and roasted wattleseed with a hazelnut and cocoa aroma (no cocoa!). Bitter and deep, sweetened with wild honey: the snack that sticks to the belly on the trail.
Why this dish? To follow the creeks and billabongs far from camp, people carried seedcakes ground on stone. Roasted acacia seeds (wattleseed) give a dark, nourishing flavor: the traveler's provisions in Bunyip country.
When you follow the creeks away from my waterhole, you carry the seedcakes. The seeds of grasses and acacia, ground between two stones, mixed with a little water, cooked under the ash: it sticks to the belly and travels well. The taste is dark, almost bitter, sweetened with wild honey. Eat it on the trail—and come back to see me at the billabong, if you dare.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild grass seeds (mitchell grass, kangaroo grass) — several handfuls (base flour)
- Roasted acacia seeds (wattleseed) — a handful (flavor and binder)
- Water — as needed (dough)
- Wild honey (sugarbag), optional — a little (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Wholemeal flour (or native seed flour if available) — 250 g (base)
- Ground roasted wattleseed — 2 tbsp (signature flavor)
- Water — approx. 150 ml (dough)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (sweetness)
- Pinch of salt — 1 (seasoning)
Method
- Mix flour, ground wattleseed, and salt.
- Dissolve honey in water, gradually add to flour to form a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Shape into flat cakes about 1 cm thick.
- Cook under warm ashes (wrapped in leaf) for 15–20 minutes, or in a dry pan for 4–5 minutes per side.
- Let cool: the cake keeps for several days and travels easily.
How it was made : In drier regions, grass seeds were harvested, winnowed, ground on flat stones, and cooked into ashcakes—among the world's oldest evidence of seed grinding. Wattleseed (roasted Acacia seeds) has remained a flagship bush food ingredient. Note: some seeds (like nardoo) require specific treatment to be safe for consumption.
The contemporary twist : Serve the warm cake crumbled under smoked eel (r5 + r3) or drizzled with sweet water reduced to syrup: dark, bitter, and honeyed, a taste of Australian camp life.
Sources : Tim Low, Wild Food Plants of Australia, Angus & Robertson, 1991 · Bill Gammage, The Biggest Estate on Earth, Allen & Unwin, 2011
Bunyip · Charactorium
