Buffalo Tongues for Dinner.

Northern Territory produce provided the wherewithal for a dinner in Sydney, Australia in November 1936. The rather unusual menu for the event attracted the interest of journalists around the country. The following report is from the Courier Mail, of 25 November, 1936

Unusual Menu in Sydney.

SYDNEY, Tuesday.

Kangaroo tail soup and buffalo tongues will be served at a dinner arranged by Mr. A.M. Bain, M.H.R (Northern Territory), in Sydney on Friday night.

Mr Blain has arranged the dinner on behalf of the Northern Territory primary producers, to advertise the products of their holdings. Some of the food has been send from Darwin packed in dry ice.

At present the menu is:- Hors doeuvre [sic]: North Coast oysters. Soup: Kangaroo tail. Fish: Barramundi. Entrees: Buffalo tongues and wild sucking pig. Poultry: Geese and black duck. Roast: Sirloin of Beef. Dessert: Tropical fruit salad, Northern Territory peanuts. Wines will be supplied from South Australia.

The foods, packed in dry ice as the article indicated, were transported by Qantas Air Service and arrived in Sydney less than 48 hours after they were dispatched from Darwin – a noteworthy feat for the time.

To Cure BuffaloTongues.

“E.O.R” Port Darwin. To cure buffalo tongues without splitting them it is necessary that they should be removed in a heated condition. Then hand them up and pour over them a strong solution of salt, to which should be added a little sugar and a trifle of salt-petre – the latter gives them a good colour. Allow the tongues to hang in the sun for a time, but remove them from the dew at night. In three or four days they will be ready to smoke. This should be done with gum leaves alone, and the fire must be smothered so that as little heat as possible will be thrown out.

South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA) 16 May 1896.

Kangaroo Tail Soup.

Ingredients.-1 tail, 2 lbs. gravy beef. 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 1 head of celery, bunch herbs, 1 piece of ginger. 6 cloves, 1 lump of sugar, a small lemon, 2 oz. of bacon, 2 quarts of water. 1 glass of port wine, and flour.

Method.-Wash and dry the tail, cut it into small pieces and put into the saucepan with the beef cut small. Add pepper and salt, ½ the vegetables cut up roughly, herbs, sugar, bacon, and seasoning; cook for two hours, then strain. Add the remainder of vegetables, cut up finely, juice of half a lemon. Simmer gently until vegetables are soft, thicken with flour and cook for two minutes; add wine and serve with small pieces of tail cut into dice in it.

The Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate (NSW) 31 July 1909