DISHING UP TASTE OF LAND

EVER fancy a crocodile laksa or a dessert using green ants?

You might just get the chance to eat these dishes, thanks to a Darwin chef arriving in the city this weekend.

Zach Green is the creator of Elijah’s Kitchen, a travelling restaurant with a focus on celebrating the stories and connections behind indigenous food.

He will team up with A Touch of Salt to put on one of his signature pop- up dinners on Thursday night.

The unique event will include a smoking ceremony before a four- course meal with matching wines.

“We’ll be using camel, kangaroo and crocodile,” he said. “The Australian native ingredients are becoming quite popular at the moment. A lot of people need to realise there are dreaming stories connected to these foods.”

The 28- year- old chef will arrive in Townsville tomorrow and will work with a local elder to finalise details of the dinner. Among the dishes he’s planning are a crocodile laksa, a ceviche dish using all native ingredients and “the typical kangaroo dish”.

Green said he was proud of his indigenous heritage and wanted to share the culture through food.

“The name of the restaurant comes from my son who passed in 2005 and it’s a little bit for him as well,” he said. “This is what he would have been growing up with and learning about.”

Tickets to the dinner are limited and cost $ 120 plus a booking fee. They can be bought via Eventbrite.