Wattleseed
(Acacia spp.)
Wattleseed is a foundational native Australian bushfood, harvested from the seed pods of the Acacia genus (Fabaceae/legume family).
- Australia is home to over 1,000 wattle species, and around 100 of these1 produce notionally edible seed — with a much smaller number well suited to cultivation. (A related estimate puts the number of species traditionally used as food by Aboriginal Australians at around 120, reflecting how “edible” and “historically eaten” don’t map onto each other exactly.)
- Wattles are hardy, fast-growing legumes — happy in full sun, and tolerant of frost, drought and poor or salty soils. Depending on the species they range from a 1–2m shrub up to a 10m tree, most flowering pale yellow in winter and spring.
- Wattles have a clever trick for getting into the ground: many species produce a seed with a small, nutrient-rich attachment (an aril) that ants carry off to their nest, eating the aril and leaving the seed buried safely underground. There it can sit dormant for years — some sources say up to two decades — until the heat of a bushfire cracks the hard coat open.
Cultivate
- We’ve planted a selection of around 60 local wattles in a dedicated wattleseed grove, and some as windbreaks including:
- Bramble wattle — Acacia victoriae (aka Elegant/Prickly wattle, gundabluey, Bardi bush). This is the primary species behind the commercial wattleseed industry, though a range of other acacias are used too.
- Brisbane wattle — Acacia fimbriata (aka Fringed wattle, Brisbane golden wattle), including some Eprapah wattle (A. fimbriata var. perangusta)
- Cincinnata wattle — Acacia cincinnata (aka Daintree wattle, Circle fruit salwood)
- Hickory wattle — Acacia disparrima (aka Southern salwood)
- Mulga — Acacia aneura
- Silky wattle — Acacia holosericea (aka Candelabra wattle, Soapbush, Silver wattle)
- Sweet-scented wattle — Acacia suaveolens
- Acacia victoriae grows quickly, flowering and seeding from around 2 years old, reaching 2–9m. Recommended spacing is around 3–10m in full sun. Seeds are typically ready to harvest September–December (tarps under the tree make collection easy) and, once dried, keep well for 7+ years at room temperature.
- To date our wattleseed cooking has used dark-roasted, ground A. victoriae seed that we purchased. So we are looking forward to harvesting and roasting our own grove in time. We planted to grow a diversity of product and will get to explore different sizes, colours, oil content and flavours across species.
- To grow your own from seed, the hard coat needs breaking first: pour just-boiled water over the seed and let it soak 12–24 hours before sowing. Untreated, the seed can sit dormant in soil for a very long time waiting for fire to do the job instead.
- As nitrogen-fixers, wattles are also great garden companions, enriching the soil for neighbouring plants.
Culinary
- What’s used is the dried seed, always roasted before use — the roasting step is essential, developing wattleseed’s signature toasted coffee-chocolate-hazelnut character through Maillard chemistry. Unroasted seed has little of that flavour.
- Roasted and ground, wattleseed has a nutty, earthy character reminiscent of roasted coffee and chocolate, with an aroma of toasted biscuits, nuts and wheat, plus notes of sweet spice and raisin.
- It shines in sweet baking — pancakes, biscuits, muffins, pavlova — and works equally well in meat dishes, ice cream, sauces, rubs, marinades, crumbs and batters, or brewed as a caffeine-free “coffee”.
Indigenous Uses
- Wattleseed was a mainstay food for Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years, valued as a reliable source of protein and carbohydrate, including through drought — archaeological work in Martu Country, WA’s Western Desert, has traced wattle use in that region back over 50,000 years.
- Seeds were ground into flour between grinding stones and cooked into cakes or damper; green seeds of some species were also eaten after baking in hot coals.
- Around 120 Acacia species were traditionally used as food across the continent, prepared either green (and cooked) or dried and milled into flour. Specialised seed-grinding tools for this purpose date back around 1,000 years.
- Wattleseed is a good source of protein (commonly around 20%+), potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, has a low glycemic index, and is notably high in fibre (over 30%).
- Different wattle species — and different roasting approaches — produce distinct flavours, reflecting the range of climates and regions Aboriginal people drew on across Australia. Traditionally, seed was often used whole rather than ground to a fine powder.
- The gum, flowers, leaves and bark of various wattle species were also used as bush medicine, for conditions including coughs and skin complaints.
Links
To Do
- Top up planting (nursery leftovers + source more A. victoriae)
- Learn to harvest and roast our own grove seed
A related estimate puts the number of species traditionally used as food by Aboriginal Australians at around 120, reflecting how “edible” and “historically eaten” don’t map onto each other exactly.