Seed cake

This article is about the byproduct of pressed oil. For the British cake made, in part, from seeds, see Caraway seed cake.

Seed cake or bush bread refers to bread made by crushing seeds into a dough after which it is baked (without any additives). Some seeds (such as the seed of acacia) need to be heated, hulled and then ground dry, while others (such as those of grasses) can be ground with water. Bush bread was traditionally made by aboriginal Australians. Bush bread is high in protein and carbohydrate and can be part of a balanced diet.

Seed cake can also refer to a byproduct of making pressed oil from seeds. When oil is pressed the remaining solids are pressed into cakes. Seed cakes are primarily used as food for livestock. The seed cake of the moringa can be used as a flocculant in water treatment.

Ingredients

Bush bread can be made from a variety of seeds; these include:

• Acacia spp. (e.g. Acacia aneura (mulga), Acacia cowleana, Acacia estrophiolata (ironweed), Acacia ligulata (umbrella bush), Acacia murrayana (tjuntjula), Acacia tetragonophylla (wakalpulka), Acacia kempeana (Witchetty bush), Acacia coriacea (Wiry wattle), Acacia notabilis, Acacia pyrifolia, Acacia tetragonophylla, Acacia victoriae, Acacia sophorae, Acacia stenophylla, Acacia tumida)
• Aleurites moluccana
• Atriplex nummularia (Old man saltbush)
• Panicum spp. (e.g. Panicum australiense, Panicum decompositum, Panicum effusum)
• Amaranthus mitchellii
• Amaranthus grandiflorus
• Brachiaria spp. (e.g. Brachiaria piligera Brachiaria milliformis)
• Brachychiton spp. (e.g. Brachychiton diversifolium Brachychiton gregorii, Brachychiton paradoxum, Brachychiton populneum)
• Bruguiera rheedii
• Calandrinia balonensis
• Canarium australianum
• Canavalia maritima
• Entada phaseolides
• Eragrostris spp. (Wangunu) (e.g. Eragrostris eriopoda)
• Eucalyptus leptopoda
• Eucalyptus microtheca
• Astrelba pectinata (Mitchell grass)
• Portulaca oleracea
• Portulaca intraterranea
• Oryza sativa
• Marsilea drummondii (Nardoo)
• Nymphae gigantea
• Rhyncharrhena linearis
• Themeda australis