Grubs to grab the tourists?

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 1

Grubs to grab the tourists?

One of the main attractions of the Australian state of Victoria lives beneath gum tree bark along the Murray River.

It is about as fat as a thumb, some 10cm long, and called a witchetty grub. The grubs, similar to New Zealand's huhu grub, are being used in a promotion pushing Melbourne as “the gateway to Australia.” Mr David Brunton, manager of the New Zealand branch of the Victorian Government Travel Authority, says he is trying to promote the unusual attractions of Victoria. One of these is witchetty grub soup. The Aboriginals regarded the grub as a delicacy and ate them raw. An enterprising chef saw other possibilities for the grub and, not so long ago, made it into a soup, Mr Brunton said.

A restaurant at Swan Hill, about 300 km north-west of Melbourne, has it -on the menu and it is also available in cans for about $1.50. Sideshows at fairs in the area sometimes sold roasted grubs, Mr Brunton said. “Local children are paid 10c a grub. The grubs are fairly hard to find and live

under the bark of a gum tree,” Mr Brunton said. He handed over a complimentary can of the soup, saying reassuringly that it tasted like “pea and ham.” Ingredients include nuts, flour, carrots, leeks, and “selected” witchetty grubs. After heating the yellow, viscous contents , several tasters were chosen. First reactions were twitching nostrils and tentative sips. However, the consensus was that it was "quite pleasant” and had a "fairly nutty” flavour.