Food for energy, food for health, food for celebration, food for trade, food for thought…
Supermarkets and the drive thru are modern conveniences unheard of 100 or 200 years ago.
How has our Local Food changed ?
The traditional Kai Tahu diet included protein-rich seafood, land and sea birds. Traditional starchy foods included fern roots and cabbage trees.
Sealers existed on the rations they were dropped off with – usually salt pork – but some survived on crabs and sea bird eggs when the ships were delayed or failed to return.
Whaling ships travelling between here and Sydney brought in supplies. The local Maori were successfully growing potatoes and eating wild pork introduced to their traditional diet by trading with explorers. This available food all helped to stave off the threat of starvation while the first sponsored settlers awaited harvests of their first crops.
The years from 1840-1848 saw changes to the landscape and available food. By the time the main body of settlers arrived in East Otago the pioneers had shown farming practices familiar to them could be applied here. Wheat and oats were grown and livestock raised and eventually creameries and dairy factories were set up.
An explosion in the rabbit population caused problems for farmers. Were they a food source or just pests ?
Procuring food wasn’t the only challenge. Food also needed to be cooked and sometimes preserved. Sugar was only available in 20lb blocks, so black and hard it required an axe to chop it.
The first settler families arrived with minimal basic equipment for cooking. Dampers were cooked on earth floors covered with hot ashes if no camp oven was available. How the appearance of the Orion coal range, made in Dunedin, must have revolutionised the making of a cup of tea with the inbuilt water heater !
When wheat was scarce bread was made with maize meal using just enough wheat to make it bind. When salt was unavailable for butter making sea water was boiled down to extract the salt. Butter making was shown to be an artform. The Waikouaiti museum displays A&P show certificates awarded for best fresh butter, best dried butter (WWll) and best table display. A medal dated 1886 was awarded to Mrs Demspter for the best fresh butter.
When you compare our lifestyle today to that of our ancestors you can’t help but think how lucky we are. It’s easy to flick a switch or phone up for a home delivery, but I think we still enjoy some aspects of hunting and gathering our food. There is a lot more to food than just calories.
Our thanks to the Waikouaiti Museum for their time, information and the use of photographs.
Contacts for this column : Suzi Flack : suzi@parisettes.com
Patti Vanderburg : vburg@es.co.nz
