Australia Travel Story PART 5 – BBQ with Kangaroo Meat

The last part of my trip to Western Australia is all about one of Australia's two national animals: the kangaroo. According to official estimates, there are around 50 million of them living on this continent. And if you travel through the vastness of the country, you have a real chance of encountering them, even though they are considered shy animals. The yellow warning signs on the side of the road are not there for nothing.

Kangaroos are the symbol of Australia – and give rise to controversial discussions. The fronts run right through the Australian population. Between animal and nature conservationists, farmers, traders and the descendants of the indigenous people. Some want to see the heraldic animal protected as far as possible, reject the government's hunting quotas and use the presence of kangaroos for tourism purposes, for example. Such as the Wildwood Valley Resort in Yallingup in the Margaret River region. The cottages on offer are surrounded by many kangaroos, which curiously venture close to the houses and are not disturbed by tourists taking photos while grazing. Others are in favor of intensive kangaroo hunting, they primarily see competition with their farm animals for the rare pastures, are worried about their harvests or profit from the global trade in the animals' meat, fur and leather. For many years, conservationists have been appealing to environmentally conscious Australians to eat primarily kangaroo steaks for climate reasons, since kangaroos, unlike cattle and sheep, hardly produce any climate-damaging gases.

Original dwelling of the Aborigines

For the Aborigines, kangaroo meat has always been important as a valuable foodstuff, as Josh Whiteland from "Koomal Dreaming" explains to me at our meeting. "Koomal" is the traditional name of Wadandi man Josh Whiteland and means possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and totem; it was chosen for him by the Wadandi elders. Josh is very committed to passing on his knowledge of the Wadandi way of life that has been anchored in the changing seasons for more than 50,000 years. He regrets that - in his opinion - people have lost their sense of natural resources and advocates giving kangaroo meat the status of a national dish. (You should know that until 1993 the consumption of kangaroo meat was prohibited in most Australian states; it was only processed into dog food.) "Instead of using kangaroo or emu meat in our kitchens, which has been native to our immediate area since time immemorial, we prefer beef and lamb. Meat from farmed animals that don't actually belong here, but only came to Australia by ship from Great Britain with the white settlers. Instead, we now export kangaroo meat on a large scale to Europe, where it is considered a delicacy." For Josh, this is one of many absurdities that seem to characterize modern, global life. Far removed from an indigenous, Australian culture. But so that the continent's roots are not completely forgotten, he offers excursions to locals and tourists. You can go foraging with him, which includes hunting, and then prepare a meal together, where the fire is made in the traditional way. As a chef, Josh knows how to convince me of his definition of local food with a great feel for the products used. The result is extremely delicious. Kangaroo meat can be grilled, boiled, braised or fried. It has little fat (maximum two percent) and a very high protein and iron content. The color and the structure of the meat remind me of beef, but I would classify it as more like game in terms of taste. A delicacy that you have to try.

Recipe: Kangaroo fillet on avocado salad
(by Josh Whiteland)

Ingredients:

• 500 g kangaroo fillets
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried lemon myrtle

For the salad:
• 1 avocado
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 handful of fresh wild lettuce leaves (e.g. orache, celery,
Sorrel, rocket, etc.)
• Olive oil
• white balsamic vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

AROMATIC BUSH FOOD
Lemon myrtle is a basic spice in Australian cuisine and brings the taste and aroma of real bush food to Europe. The Aborigines use the leaves not only as a spice, but also as a medicinal plant. This lemon-aromatic spice is available in well-stocked spice shops and as a plant in selected garden centers.

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix a marinade of garlic, soy sauce, olive oil and lemon myrtle, add the meat and marinate covered in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
Prepare the grill for direct grilling and remove the meat from the marinade about 20 minutes before grilling begins, pat dry with kitchen paper and allow to reach room temperature. Grill on both sides over high heat until it is cooked to medium rare. Allow the kangaroo fillet to rest for a few minutes, while peeling the avocado, removing the pit and cutting into bite-sized pieces. Arrange on a board or plate with the cherry tomatoes and the wild salad and drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Cut the meat into thin slices and place on the bed of lettuce.
cause.

I nfo: Josh used wild lettuce leaves such as “Saltbush”, “Dune Spinach” and “Sea Celery” for this recipe. Since these plants are not native to our latitudes, we replaced them with wild lettuce from our region.