On the weekend I was thinking about foodie ways to celebrate NAIDOC Week. I love a project but sometimes it is nice to make something simple. Sometimes we don't have the energy for fancy and fussy! It would be ideal to post it in NAIDOC Week but I am not that organised.
I made these below toast toppings using ingredients in the colours of the Aboriginal flag. According to the government Flags of Australia booklet:
"The black symbolises
the Aboriginal people, the red represents the earth and the colour of
ochre used in Aboriginal ceremonies, and the circle of yellow represents
the sun, the constant renewer of life."
Aboriginal flag on toast 1:
- Red: tomato relish
- Black: mushroom charcoal gravy
- Yellow: cheddar cheese
Verdict: 3/10. The gravy was such a black shade of black but the flavours were a bit dull. The relish was too much flavour and too little red. I had wanted to use a home made Napoli-style tomato sauce but ran out before the toast had a chance to wear it.
Aboriginal flag on toast 2:
- Red: chopped tomato
- Black: Vegemite
- Yellow: cheddar cheese
Aboriginal flag on toast 3:
- Red: chopped capsicum
- Black: chopped kalamata olives
- Yellow: tofu besan omelet
- base of hummus
Verdict: 6/10. The olives and capscium went well together with the spread of hummus below to hold them on the toast. The soft flavoursome circule of omelet was a contrasting addition.
Aboriginal flag on toast 4:
- Red: chopped capsicum and tomatoes
- Black: rinsed black beans and chopped kalamata olives
- Yellow: tofu besan omelet
- base of hummus
The main problem with my slices of toast as flags was that they were hard to eat without collapsing and spilling, even when I used hummus to keep it together. The easiest way to eat them was to cut the toast into quarters in squares. I even had a go at arranging them as the Aboriginal flag but it was pretty messy. I like the idea of a platter of topped toast with red, yello and hard to eat - best on smaller pieces of toast and arrange on a plate as a flag.
So here are some suggestions for each colour
- Red - tomato pasta sauce, chopped tomatoes, chopped red capsicum, red kidney beaans
- Black - mushroom gravy, Vegemite, kalamata olives, black beans, roast eggplant, cooked mushrooms, activated charcoal coloured food
- Yellow - cheese, omelet, hummus, corn, yellow capsicum, saffron coloured food, turmeric coloured food
You could even consider a sweet platter with toppings on bread or mini pancakes such as nutella, strawberry jam and honey. The combinations are endless.
I love this post! The ideas for the toppings on all the bread look really delicious and your themes are so creative and informative for the appreciation of the Aboriginal people. In the States I am not familiar with it. Thanks.
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