Sausages and prawns on the barby, pavlova and lamingtons – these are the foods we consider “Australian” and that we use to celebrate Australia Day.

But what about the original Australian foods – the native foods that have grown right here in our backyard for tens of thousands of years?

From the fresh lemony zing of a finger lime to the toasted coffee and chocolate aromas of wattleseed, native foods offer a whole new world of unique and delicious flavours that are truly worth celebrating.

Here’s a guide to some of the best, available at the market:

LEMON MYRTLE: Native to Northern NSW, lemon myrtle has a fresh and clean lemony flavour. For a thirst -quenching Australia Day drink, make a lemon myrtle iced tea – simmer lemon myrtle leaves or tea with some sugar, lemon and limejuice, then allow to cool and serve on ice. Lemon myrtle can be substituted in almost any recipe that calls for lemon or lemongrass, and it’s great with seafood. Add a sprinkle to your aioli and uses a dipping sauce for barbecue prawns. Lemon myrtle spice and tea available from Playing With Fire, Mullumbimby Farmers Market.

DAVIDSONS PLUM: Another Northern NSW native, Davidson Plum is rich in antioxidants. They’re in season now, and can be eaten raw, but are quite tart. For this reason, they’re often made into jams, sauces and desserts. Rainforest Foods makes a popular Davidson Plum and Sweet Chilli Sauce that is excellent as a dipping sauce, or try it as a marinade for your Aussie Day bbq spare ribs.

FINGER LIME: Known as the caviar of the citrus world, finger limes contains hundreds of tiny beads that release a fresh lime flavour when they burst in your mouth. Perfect with Oz day prawns, You can also squeeze them into sparkling water or cocktails. Available from Neville Singh and Playing With Fire , where you’ll also find a lovely finger lime cordial.

WATTLESEED: With a chocolate hazelnut flavour and toasted coffee aroma, watlleseed is great in muffins, cakes and breads, and pairs perfectly with chocolate and ice cream. For the centrepiece of your Australia Day table, try whipping up a Wattleseed pavlova. Available from Playing With Fire.