Provenance and the Plant
We respect the knowledge that our Aboriginal supply partners have taught us about wattleseed.
Wattleseed is intimately and immediately identified as Australian. Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) also knon as karrank to the Gunditjmara people of south western Victoria and is widespread in the south-eastern states, is Australia's floral emblem. Wattleseed is one of the most prolific plants in Australia and grows in almost all environments from the desert ( mulga and elegant wattle) to the sea (coastal wattle) and everywhere in between. Wattles vary in flavour and colour and size depending on the region but all are intensely flavoured and can be used in so many ways.
Wattleseed is also one of the most widely used and useful Aboriginal food plants. Depending on the plant Aborigines eat the seed, either cooked or raw in its pod or dry-roasted to make damper. The seeds have to be roasted and ground into a powder for most culinary uses. Wattleseed has traditionally been a staple food for Aboriginal people across the nations and Country. The sweet gums that ooze from the trees are known as bush lollies and are a sweet treat.
Many species of Acacia are used in Aboriginal medicine, such as the Southern Ironwood and the Turpentine tree in the north, amongst many others. Treatments from these trees include the making of antiseptic lotions for cuts, sores and burns to post-natal smoke treatments to help newborn babies and their mothers. The timber from wattle is used to make boomerangs and coolamons.
Some wattles such as the mulga A. aneura can be a prolific source of food yeilding up to 100kg per hectare in the wild.
Being legumes, wattle trees have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria, which results in nitrogen being fixed from the air so they have the potential to increase soil fertility and maybe even rehabilitate degraded waste and farm land. Some wattles will continue to produce edible seed even in drought conditions and are a natural colonising plant for disturbed areas.
Most wattles flower in earlyspring and the seeds ripen during the following summer and into autumn.If you harvest wattleseed from a tree you have grown or from the wild, remember when you clean the seed from the pod, do not remove the aruil at te end of the seed, as this is rich in oil and nutrients and flavour.
Our wattleseed comes from various parts of the country - from the Flinders Rangers of South Australia, to the Central and Tanami Deserts. At present all our wattleseed is wild harvested but we are supporting Indigenous farmers growing Wattleseed in plantations.
Culinary Use
Wattleseed is an extremely versatile ingredient and may be used in savoury recipes such as pasta and bread and as a seasoning for meat. But wattleseed really comes into it's own in baking and desert making - biscuits, cakes, muffins, ice-cream, mousse and custards.It is particularly delicious when paired with dairy and wattleseed and chocolate is a marriage made in heaven! If adding wattleseed to any recipe, it's a good idea to soften the ground seed in some boling water, cool and then add. If making bread make this wattleseed paste and add to the yeast while activating.
If making ice-cream ior mousse, panna cotta or any custard style base, it's best to infuse the wattleseed in the milk or cream before adding eggs. Strain the wattleseed flavoured milk or cream and keep the grounds as you could add them to shortbreads or any biscuit - why not try a Wattleseed Wagon Wheel!
Wattleseed has a strong flavour and must be used judiciously. It can affect the gluten activity in flour and for this reason it is best to add to breads and things that take some mixing, towards the end of that process.
If you are adding wattleseed to flour you will only need 30g of wattleseed per 750g plain flour or about 5% wattleseed.
You can also make a wattleseed essence or syrup and add to milkshakes, or poured over pancakes or hot puddings. Make an interesting cocktail called Athol Brose!
The taste of wattleseed can be broadly described as nutty with coffee and chickory overtones. As the seeds are high in oil and this varies from variety to variety, the seeds must be carefully roasted to maximise the flavour. We have over 30 years experience in roasting and grinding these wonderful seeds, so you can be sure of the quality of our product
For recipes such as the Wattleseed Espresso & Frangelico Affogato or the Wattleseed Pavlova Roulade with Wattleseed Honey Cream and Summer Fruits and more please click here
And Wattleseed is caffeine free and is a great coffee substitute!
Health Benefits
Wattleseed is actually a legume and it is very high in protein and in fact is one of the highest non-meat sources of protein, outstripping wheat, rice and even some meats. The World Health Authority actually sent some of our wattleseed species and horticulturists to Ethiopia to help local communities grow our arid species as a food source in times of drought and many parts of north Africa in particular. now grow wattleseed as an important food source of protein and complex carbohydrates.
The oil in wattleseed varies from species to species but in all cases it provides a higher source of fat than any other legume and the oil is unsaturated , making it desirable from a health perspective.
. The energy content is also high in Acacia seed, compared to other legumes, due to the high level of fat.
The mean fibre content is very high compared to most legumes and wattleseed is certified as a low glycaemic index (GI) food. Low GI food is maintaining a healthy weight , and low GI foods have been shown to be beneficial for diabetics, as the slow release of sugars does not produce sudden rises in blood glucose levels.
Wattleseed contains high concentrations of essential potassium, zinc, calcium, iron and selenium.
Wattleseed is one of the few native foods reported to contain selenium, a rare mineral which plays a key role in metabolism and has antioxidant properties which helps to reduce and decrease free radical damage to body cells. It also assists in lowering oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases from type 2 diabetes to some types of cancer.