Feast of food & culture cooked up

Two Kununurra grandmothers have released their very own cookbook, full of comforting and healthy recipes that are staple parts of their modern indigenous lifestyle.

Jangeb Yarrenkoo!, which translates as “Let’s Eat!” in Miriwoong, is the latest publication from the Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre.

Authors Glennis Galbat-Newry, pictured, and Ingrid Ningarmara have been working on the 110-page book since 2014.

It originally featured Ms Ningarmara’s soup recipe but evolved into a three-meal cookbook full of Miriwoong language and culture.

The book features a fish on the fire recipe, a guide to cooking beef stew, and a chapter on making damper.

Ms Ningarmara said she enjoyed the experience of making the practical guide and was excited to share the different recipes with readers.

“It’s the first time we got to make a book with different stories all in one book,” she said. “It was fun going out and taking all the photos and making the recipes.”

All of the recipes combine traditional hunting, fishing, gathering and cooking techniques with locally available ingredients to create a realistic, but still rich, eating experience.

But the book offers so much more than just recipes, with the offering taking readers on a journey with Ms Ningarmara and Ms Galbat-Newry through each step.

Photographs and detailed Miriwoong captions, along with English translations, capture the love the women share with their families and the land while they create the meals.

MDWg senior linguist KJ Olawsky said the book was an immersive experience in Miriwoong cooking.

“One of the obvious things people like is fishing and eating the fish, so we took Ingrid to the river and went through it step by step,” he said.

“It’s probably the most detailed fishing guide you can get. It’s got everything from finding a good spot at the river to making the fire and cooking; it’s a complete journey.

“We thought it was a great topic and there’s a lot more to tell about what Miriwoong people eat.”

Jangeb Yarrenkoo! is part of the centre’s series of audio- interactive publications, which when used with a special electronic pen, play recordings of the authors narrating the text to help readers with Miriwoong pronunciation.

The pen and the book, along with more of MDWg’s books, can be bought from the office.