Damper
The manufacture of flour and the making of bread has played an
important part in the history of Australia. Flour has been a staple
food since the beginning of white settlement and was issued from the
Government stores. The first flour mill and bakery to be built in
Australia was in the fledgling settlement of Sydney and was managed by
John Palmer who arrived with the First Fleet. The grinding
mechanism of the mill was driven by a windmill, converting such grains as
corn, barley and wheat into flour.
As exploration
and development moved away from the Sydney area and extended to the more remote locations of the continent,
the Australian Damper came into vogue. Originally, damper was a
very simple mixture consisting of flour and water, with salt added for flavour. These ingredients were mixed into a dough and,
because cooking pans were an extra burden to carry, the dough was
normally placed directly upon the hot coals of an open fire place, being
turned over when the first side was cooked.
It is thought
that the term "Damper" is derived from this practice of placing the flat
layer of dough upon the open, hot coals. The dough acted as a
damper, smothering, or damping the heat of the fire. Other methods
for cooking damper included wrapping the dough around a suitable stick and
holding it over the heat of the fireplace until cooked.
As the colony
developed and towns sprang up closer to the centres of activity, such as
goldfields, cast-iron
camp ovens eventually became part of the bush cook's belongings...
(Article truncated at this point.)
This condensed sample from the article
on the Damper is from the "Aussie Recipes" section of
Cairns-on-a-CD. The "Aussie Recipes" section
includes 6 such articles.
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and the Damper recipe.
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