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Australia's bush tomato is a fascinating fruit, often likened as much to a raisin as a tomato, and with an unusual earthy-caramel flavour.
Native to desert areas of central Australia, including parts of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, the bush tomato (Solanum centrale – there are others but this is the species we see sold commercially) is also often called a desert raisin, along with other names from local Indigenous language groups, including akatyerr, akatjurra, akudjura, kutjera, katyerr, kampurarrpa and yakajirri.
What does bush tomato taste like?
The small fruits grow on shrubs, turning yellow as they ripen. Mostly used dried, the fruit is often allowed to sun-dry on the bushes before harvesting. The dried fruit is sold whole and ground.
Bush tomato has an attractive flavour with caramel, raisin and umami notes that work well in curries, braises, pies and sauces (or a native flavours take on Australia's much loved spag bol!) It's a strong flavour, so you often only need a small amount. You can buy dried and ground bush tomato from specialist retailers.
Pepperberry, bush tomato and saltbush bolognese. Credit: Jiwon Kim
An Indian classic meets native Australian ingredients! Wattleseed naan stuffed with spiced pumpkin is served with burrata and a bush tomato, curry leaf and chilli chutney. This recipe uses whole dried bush tomatoes.
Pumpkin wattleseed naan Credit: Adam Liaw
While Johnny cakes are often served with sweet toppings, here these quick fried breads made with self-raising flour are served as bruschetta, with ground bush tomato used to flavour the cherry tomato, basil and rocket topping.
Johnny cake bruschetta with rocket and bush tomatoes Credit: Jiwon Kim
Mark Olive's recipe puts an Australian twist on the traditional lamb shank, using wallaby and native spieces including kutjera (aka bush tomato), saltbush and native thyme.
Braised wallaby shanks.
Another Mark Olive recipe, this vegetable stir-fry uses ground bush tomato and saltbush to add a unique flavour. Serve with hot quinoa for a tasty and filling meal.
Native spice stir-fry Credit: On Country Kitchen
A hearty cold-weather comfort food, this pie from Nornie Bero features a rich, creamy mushroom filling elevated with native Indigenous spices, including ground pepperberry, saltbush and bush tomato.
Wild mushroom and pepperberry pie Credit: Jiwon Kim
Adam Liaw puts bush tomato to great use here, along with an array of other bush flavours. Dipped in beer batter and quickly fried til golden, the mushroom pieces are then tossed in an 'Aussie spice salt', a mixture using sea salt flakes, mountain pepper, ground wattleseed, bush tomato aniseed myrtle, saltbush powder and smoked paprika.
Beer-battered mushrooms Credit: Kitti Gould
This roo taco features a number of Indigenous Australian ingredients, including wattleseed, bush tomato, sea celery and youlk.
Bush tomato is clearly one of Mark Olive's favourite ingredients! In this recipe, ground bush tomato is sprinkled over cherry tomatoes before they are baked until semi-dried, then used to make striking savoury muffins.
Oven-dried tomato, warrigal greens and goat’s cheese muffins Credit: On Country Kitchen
Adam Liaw's recipe for these juicy kebabs blends Middle Eastern and Australian flavours. Ground pepperberry, along with cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and garlic, is used in the lamb marinade, and ground bush tomato and wattleseed add depth to the tahini-yoghurt sauce served with the kebabs.
Credit: Adam Liaw
This is a quick and delicious weeknight meal that punches in flavour and texture far beyond the effort it takes to put together. The depth of flavour comes in part from the spice mix that's rubbed on the chicken before cooking; it includes ground bush tomato, anise myrtle, cinnamon myrtle and pepperberry, among other spices.
Spiced chicken maryland with olives, capers and preserved lemon. Credit: Kitti Gould
This tasty sandwich features not only the usual bacon, lettuce and (vine) tomato but a tasty sauce made with mayonnaise, mustard and soaked and mashed bush tomatoes! You can also double up the bush tomato element by adding purchased bush tomato or quandong chutney, too.
Stockman’s BLT Credit: Adam Liaw
Egyptian dukkah gets a modern-day Indigenous Australian twist with macadamias, pepperberries and ground bush tomatoes with this recipe from Nornie Bero.
Figs with macadamia and bush tomato dukkah Credit: Jiwon Kim
Traditional Christmas meets outback flavours in this recipe from Rayleen Brown, to bring you a richly spiced fruitcake topped with desert quandongs. Bush tomato, pepperberry and wattleseed are used in the cake mix, along with mixed dried fruit, creating a rich, rewarding flavour and texture.
Bush fruit Christmas cake Credit: The Great Australian Cookbook
MORE BUSH TOMATO RECIPES
Bush tomato (akudjura) scones
