In 1770, naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander reportedly saw wild soybeans in Botany Bay. The following century, the Japanese government sent soybeans to Australia as a gift. Thanks to Chinese miners in the 1800s, tofu was most probably part of gold rush diets, but it wasn’t until just a few decades ago – with the growing vegetarian movement, waves of migration and people asking for soy in their coffee – that the soybean became part of everyday lives. Cult tofu shops, local brewers making soy sauce, artisan tempeh makers and the blockbuster growth of meat substitutes reflect the changing fortunes of the soybean; a versatile ingredient that has also been used in plastics and cars.

This episode features Darwin Su, chef and founder of Ferments Lab; Shannon Martinez, chef and owner of Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli; Sava Goto, chef and owner of Tofu Shoten; and Topher Boehm, brewer and co-founder at Wildflower Beer.

Image: Alana Dimou.

The tomato was dismissed as poison for 200 years in Italy, though it’s now celebrated as a staple of its cuisine. Italian migration to Australia helped make the tomato a mainstream ingredient here. Learn about the people who grow it, preserve it or cook it — whether it’s Italian Australians bottling passata in their ‘second kitchen’ (garage) in Sydney, the Cambodian refugee family growing heirloom tomatoes on a former zoo, or the Indigenous café owner serving bush tomatoes on her menu.

This episode features Sharon Winsor, Ngemba Weilwan woman and founder of Indigiearth and Warakirri Dining; Dr Cecilia Leong-Salobir, food historian and author; Joseph Vargetto, chef and owner of Mister Bianco; and Leakkhena Ma, farmer at Goldenfield. The Looking for Alibrandi footage was generously provided by Robyn Kershaw Productions.

Image: Alana Dimou.

Australia is famous for its coffee culture, but it didn’t begin with Italian post-war migration. There was the rise of coffee palaces during the 19th century temperance movement and the influential Depression-era coffee shops run by Russian migrant Ivan Repin (who offered fresh-roasted beans when stale, day-old coffee was standard). The impact of Italian-Australian migration on our espresso obsession can’t be denied though: it's paved the way for an inclusive coffee culture that includes Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and Indigenous business owners presenting native ingredients and reconciliation in a cup.

This episode features Paul van Reyk, author of True to the Land: A History of Food in Australia; Tinsae Elsdon, owner of Djebena Coffees; Nick Repin, grandson of Ivan Repin; Peter Patisteas and Shawn Andrews, co-owners of DHUWA Coffee; Sharon Winsor, Ngemba Weilwan woman and founder of Indigiearth and Warakirri Dining; and Leonard Janiszewski, co-author of In Their Own Image: Greek Australians.

Image: Alana Dimou.