Tasmania offers food delicacies produced in a pristine environment. The island beckons to gourmets, dishing up history and food at the same time.

- By John Jacobs

One hundred fifty miles south of Australia is Tasmania, an island state with a breathtaking, varied landscape and a sophisticated food culture. Talk to Tasmanians about the local fare and they mention summer berry pudding, leatherwood honey, salmon harvested from clear coastal waters, wild abalone, King Island cheeses and other delectables.

What makes the food particularly fascinating is the way it blends island agricultural traditions with very modern culture. Island-made cheeses are likely to be served with a sparkling wine and right before a gourmet meal that includes truffles, organic vegetables and hormone-free beef.

Honesty Boxes a Prelude to Quality Produce Island

Tasmania is a delightful island state that still boasts honesty boxes which are money boxes located at un-attended fresh produce stands. Fresh produce stands and farmers markets are all over the island, not surprising since Tasmanians have a long tradition of organic farming and producing high quality fruit and vegetables.

Small berry, fruit and vegetable farms dot the landscape with regularity, creating opportunities for visitors to enjoy the same food products the locals savor. Some of the farms turn their agricultural products into delights like fresh berry ice cream and jams. Summer pudding is a delicacy made of mashed berries and bread. One taste makes gourmets wonder how they managed to get through life so far without tasting such food.

The cool climate and near-pristine natural environment gives Tasmanians the ideal setting for growing berries and produce. Some products go into the wines that Australians adore. Also produced in great quantity are gin, cider and whiskey.

Much of Tasmania could be described as boutique. There are boutique breweries, distilleries, restaurants, espresso cafes, hotels and so on that preserve island life while catering equally to locals and visitors. Farmers grow hormone-free beef and raise heirloom vegetables; fishermen bring in fresh seafood on a daily basis; honey farmers make world-class leatherwood honey; and cheesemakers craft cheeses that rival any in the world.

Fare Combines Charm and Sophistication

The Tasmanian food and drink experience can only be called sophisticated, creating a unique experience that blends a charming atmosphere with cosmopolitan cuisine.

The island is called a "foodie destination" because the cottage agricultural industry focuses on quality in a way that modern mass food production cannot achieve. Stone fruits are picked at orchards while the fruit is at the height of flavor. Seafood is carefully caught in ice-cold waters in a way that prevents stress hormone build-up.

Even the beef products are different. Tasmania has traditional breeds of cattle that produce tender, perfectly marbled steaks. Cattle are not fed hormones or antibiotics; instead they are grass-fed on chemical-free pastures.

Sniffing Out Truffles and Drizzling Honey

The pristine and temperature-perfect Tasmanian waters are ideal for producing a host of seafood that includes salmon, wild abalone, clams, oysters, rock lobster, mussels, king crabs, scallops and so much more. The climate and landscape also joined forces to cultivate truffles.

Mention truffles to Americans and they are likely to first think of rum-flavored candy. Truffles to Tasmanians are a food delicacy with an unusual source.

Black truffles are a fungus that grows on the roots of hazel or oak trees right below the surface of the ground and are harvested from the Tasmanian rain forest. The subterranean fungi have a distinctive aroma and are highly prized by chefs around the world. Needless to say, black truffles are now cultivated and harvested by truffle farmers. Finding wild truffles, the ultimate delicacy, is managed with dogs that can sniff out the odor of underground truffles. The soil conditions must be ideal for truffles to grow. Only 150 tons are unearthed on a global basis, making Tasmania one of the top producers.

Food drizzled with leatherwood honey delivers a unique culinary experience. Tasmania claims some of the last remaining pristine rainforests. In the forests are leatherwood trees which serve as the nectar plants for bees. The honey collected is renowned internationally for its exquisite aroma, flavor and golden color. To encourage honey making, beekeepers place hives in the forest in the spring and summer, and they collect the beeswax and honey for cleaning and packaging.

Slow-roasted salt-grass lamb, Angus steak, seafood delights and cheese … lots of cheese … are found on Tasmanian tables and restaurant tables. Ashgrove Cheese produces unusual cheese like wild wasabi cheese; Pyengana Dairy Co. produces cloth-bound mature cheddar using traditional cheese making methods; and Wicked Cheese makes handmade vintage cheddar that is marinated in Tasmanian whiskey. It is a cheese lover's paradise.

Sad History and Happy Endings Flavor Recipes

A variety of cultural influences are found in the foods served in Tasmanian restaurants and homes.

The Dutch first arrived on the island in 1642, followed by the British in 1788. In 1803, Australia set up its first British colony in Risdon Cove which was moved a year later to what is now the capital city of Hobart. For a period of time, the island served as a penal settlement, a practice abolished in 1856.

The indigenous people of Tasmania, the Aborigines, collided with the European settlers. War and disease decimated the indigenous tribe, a situation further aggravated by an attempted resettlement of the last 137 people off the island. Only 47 survived and were returned to Oyster Cove in 1847 where they eventually perished. Though the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigine died in the 1800s, another community of Aboriginals of European and Aboriginal blood flourished into the present. Some of the modern day Aboriginals can claim descent from the full-blooded Aboriginals.

The tragic history of Tasmania is difficult to read, but knowing it adds new depth to the food culture. The quaint island is becoming a food destination because it has come to grips with its past, developed a culture that preserves its island atmosphere, and embraced what is exceptional about its natural environment.

Traditional recipes like salmon and potato salad lettuce cups, barbecued Tasmanian ocean trout, Tasmania Wagyu steak, Tasmanian fruit salad with apples and pineapple, twice-cooked pork belly with honey sauce, beef and winter vegetable pot pie, and the many other recipes are mixed thoroughly with a piece of Tasmanian history.

Ancient practices, global influences and modern style are all ingredients in the food of Tasmania.

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