Guide to the finger lime in Aboriginal cultures
The Australian finger lime is now found on restaurant menus and cocktail lists worldwide. But Aboriginal peoples have been enjoying ‘bush caviar’ for millennia.
Bush foods, Dale Tilbrook Experiences, Swan Valley, Western Australia © Tourism Australia
What is a finger lime?
The Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica) is native to the subtropical rainforests of the border ranges of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. Shaped roughly like an index finger, wild finger limes are genetically diverse, with fruit varying in size, shape and colour – from lemon yellow to bright pink. When you open one up, you’ll find it filled with hundreds of spherical ‘pearls’, each with a distinctive citrus flavour.
Why are finger limes significant to Aboriginal culture?
High in vitamin C, the finger lime has been used as a source of food and medicine (the skin can be used to heal cuts and wounds) by the Yugambeh people of southeast Queensland for time immemorial.
Ask Aboriginal staff and guides at the Gold Coast’s Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, located on Yugambeh Country, about the finger lime, and they’ll tell you it fruits in the Yugambeh season of Warringin, which falls at the beginning of winter. The flowering of the hibiscus in Warringin is a signal that finger limes are ready to be harvested at the likes of Tamborine Mountain. Jambreen, the Yugambeh name for Tamborine Mountain, means ‘wild lime’.
Dale Tilbrook Experiences, Swan Valley, Western Australia © Tourism Australia
Where can I taste finger limes?
Finger limes are now cultivated around Australia. It’s just one delicious native food you can expect to sample on a bush tucker tasting led by Wardandi Bibbulmun woman Dale Tilbrook of Dale Tilbrook Experiences near Perth / Boorloo. Soak up her deep knowledge of native edibles as the caviar-like pearls burst in your mouth.
Led by an Indigenous guide, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour makes stops in various gardens to taste native delicacies and learn about the cultural significance and healing properties of the plants. The fascinating tour concludes with a snack of damper (Australian bush bread) and zingy finger lime jam. Available to purchase at the Garden Shop, it makes a tasty souvenir.
Rock oysters, Bush Tucker Cruise, Saltwater Eco Tours, Mooloolaba, Queensland
Slurp down Sydney rock oysters with emerald finger lime and raspberry dressing as you sail the Mooloolaba waterways of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with Saltwater Eco Tours. It’s just one of many delicious native ingredient-inspired canapés you’ll sample on its Bushtucker Cruise pairing seasonal produce with insightful cultural commentary.
Tali Wiru Dining experiences, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, Uluru, Northern Territory
Finger lime also stars on the gourmet four-course menu at Tali Wiru, an unforgettable alfresco dining experience at Ayers Rock Resort in the Northern Territory. Tuck into dishes including Moreton Bay bug (slipper lobster) with finger lime and lemon myrtle beurre blanc as an Indigenous storyteller shares the secrets of the twinkling skies above Uluru.
FIND AN EXPERIENCE
Swan Valley, Western Australia Bush Tucker Tale and Tastings Dale Tilbrook Experiences
Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland Bushtucker Cruise Saltwater Eco Tours
Gold Coast, Queensland Jellurgal Walkabout Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre
Sydney, New South Wales Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Uluru, Northern Territory Tali Wiru Dining Experience Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
