All these varieties and species were native to Australia. Bush tucker is the name derived for this food. The Australian continent covers an enormous range of environments - tropical coast, rain forest, woodlands, open scrub, alpine mountains and deserts. Aboriginal people once lived in all these environments and continue to live in most. The particular bush tucker eaten varied according to what was available in the different areas, and was also reliant on the seasons.
Food is closely interwoven with the rich spiritual life of Aboriginal people.
Aborigines believe that people, the land, animals and plants are part of a vast system created by the ancestral spirits of Dreaming Each food was created by the ancestral spirits, some are even ancestral spirits changed into another form, such as the honey ants of Papunya in Central Australia. Customs, rules and religious laws govern most aspects of hunting, gathering, cooking and eating of traditional bush tucker. Certain people or groups of people have special links with certain foods which are their totems. These people may be forbidden to kill or eat their totems, except in special ceremonies.