Mabu Mabu

In Mabu Mabu, charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits.

Nornie grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in Melbourne and beyond for its innovative and delicious Australian Indigenous food. 

This book, also called Mabu Mabu – which means help yourself – reflects Nornie’s approach to cooking: simple, accessible, delicious, and colourful! Her native pantry (explored in a comprehensive glossary of native ingredients) includes seeds, succulents, nuts, plants and herbs, and her recipes range from Pumpkin and Wattleseed dampers (for which she is known) to Kangaroo Tail Bourguignon to Saltbush Butter, Quandong Relish, Pickled Karkalla and Pulled Wild Boar.

Nornie also shares her knowledge of foraging, sourcing and substitutions, as well as the story of her formative years foraging, fishing and cooking alongside her beloved father on Mer.

“"Ultimately the book is about more than just cooking, it's about how food is a vehicle for connection." -Cool Hunting-- NotableQuotes , NotableQuotes”

'this book belongs in every Australian home.' - Georgie Gordon, Sunday Life

‘a sunny and colorful cookbook that preserves the flavors of a Native Australian community for generations to come.’ - Alex Beggs, bon appétit
this book belongs in every Australian home.  -- Georgie Gordon Sunday Life
‘a sunny and colorful cookbook that preserves the flavors of a Native Australian community for generations to come.’ -- Alex Beggs bon appétit

Nornie Bero is from the Meriam People of Mer Island in the Torres Strait and is the Executive Chef, CEO and Owner of Mabu Mabu. Bero has been a professional chef for more than twenty-five years. Her style of cooking is all about generosity and flavour and she has been creating dishes using Australian native ingredients for much of her career. Mabu Mabu’s venues – Tuckshop in Yarraville, and Big Esso in Federation Square, Melbourne, champion Islander flavours and Australian native produce. Through the business and her book, Nornie is on a mission to make Indigenous herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits a part of everyone’s kitchen pantry.   

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