Indigenous Australian And Middle Eastern Cultures

Indigenous Australian and Middle Eastern cultures have many similarities when it comes to the factors that influenced their dietary choices throughout history and today. However with these similarities also came many differences as well. Traditions, religion, certain rituals, beliefs, outside influences and historical events were all huge factors that greatly influenced the dietary choices and the future development of each of these two cultures. Before the European invasion in the 1700’s, Indigenous Australians lived in tribes all over the country, with an estimated population of 750,000 people (Australian Museum, 2013). By 1901, less than 100,000 remained. Their deeply rooted belief and spiritual system, known as the Dreaming, was a†¦show more content†¦When Europeans first arrived, they brought with them their own culture and religion, that they then forced upon the indigenous, uprooting their 65,000 year old belief systems and changing their way of life, and in turn their people forever (Jalata, 2013). Western society has been influencing their culture ever since. Middle Eastern culture is also one of the world’s oldest cultures, and they too were semi-nomadic. Unlike Indigenous Australian culture, it is still very predominant today. They enjoyed a variety of very different foods such as dairy products like cheese, milk, and cream. Foods that were very rarely seen within indigenous communities in Australia. Meats such as lamb, cereals and grains, fruits and vegetables, and even fish are other traditional foods of the Middle East. Bread, rice and other grains were also a common staple in many regions. The Middle East is made up of many different countries including Turkey, Syria, Iran (formally known as Persia), Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. For the most part their culture, religion and cuisine is similar due to generations of outside influences. Countries such as Russia, India, America, Spain and even their Middle Eastern neighbours have influenced their cuisine over the years with the introduction of foods such as tomatoes, yoghurt , dates and figs that were introduced to the Persian diet during the Arab invasion, and olive oil (Food in Every Country, 2010). Whilst both cultures have