Mabu Mabu: An Australian Kitchen Cookbook

by Nornie Bero

In Mabu Mabu , charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero champions the tastes of native flavors in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits.

Nornie grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in Melbourne and beyond for its innovative and delicious Australian Indigenous food.

This book, also called Mabu Mabu – which means help yourself – reflects Nornie's approach to simple, accessible, delicious, and colorful! Her native pantry (explored in a comprehensive glossary of native ingredients) includes seeds, succulents, nuts, plants and herbs, and her recipes range from Pumpkin and Wattleseed dampers (for which she is known) to Kangaroo Tail Bourguignon to Saltbush Butter, Quandong Relish, Pickled Karkalla and Pulled Wild Boar.

Nornie also shares her knowledge of foraging, sourcing and substitutions, as well as the story of her formative years foraging, fishing and cooking alongside her beloved father on Mer.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Cooking

216 pages, Hardcover

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Candice Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to try some of the recipes in this book. I have grown an indigenous veggie patch and hadn't used much of the produce in my cooking, but now feeling inspired to create the appealing recipes!

Loved the photography in the book, the hints, tips and glossary. Enjoyed reading more about Nornie's life. A beautiful book! 📖

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully laid out book full of really interesting information. Can’t wait to get my hand on some native ingredients so I can try out some of these recipes!

[Charles Eldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big esso to Nornie Baro for bringing this cookbook of Northern Australian / Torres Strait Islander cuisine to the world. Reading it was unlike any other cookbook experience I’ve had in that MOST of the ingredients were absolutely new to me. It was a fascinating education on indigenous flavors of an area that I knew almost nothing about until I opened this book.

I want to eat every recipe, but I lament that I only will if I board a plane to Australia. As I live in North America, almost every ingredient used is not available to me. That is the only reason this exceptional cookbook is not 5 Stars - since I will not be able to recreate the recipes. But if you live down under, this should be the star of your collection. My mouth water at every picture and my imagination ran wild with her descriptions of unique herbs and plants and flavors.

I’m thankful this book exists, and I will make it a point to seek out this chef’s restaurants if I ever get to Australia.

[Jed · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent cookbook, by a native torress strait islander who went to melbourne and opened a restaurant there. some great recipes and ideal to have on the shelf as a reference