Western Australia has consistently been the most multicultural state in the country over the past 50 years.
At the last census, a third of all people who call WA home were born overseas. And our little patch of WA boasts the highest rate of multiculturalism in the state. In fact, just over half of the population in the City of Canning was born overseas.
Like many Western Australians, Member for Armadale Tony Buti has a proud Italian heritage, with his maternal grandparents hailing from Calabria and migrating to Australia before his mum was born.
In the 2021 census, over a million Australians declared an Italian ancestry. And the country is undeniably the richer for it.
But Perth is home to people from more than 200 countries, each bringing their own cultural flair to their adopted city.
As the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Dr Buti was keen to build relationships with the hundreds of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities here, and shine a light on their unique cultures.
So, in 2022 he began a ‘Minister’s Multicultural Cooking Series’ of short online videos where he invited parliamentary colleagues and Perth locals to share the flavours of their homeland.
“I know it’s a bit of a cliché to link multiculturalism with food. It’s obviously so much more than just food – but it is an important vehicle for a deeper understanding and appreciation of another culture,” he said.
“I know in my culture, it is very closely linked. We love our food, and we love our culture.”
Over the course of two years, Dr Buti has embarked on a city-wide culinary adventure, learning how to cook everything from Mexican mole to Polish pierogi, Indian shrikhand to Vietnamese cha gio.
“The best bit was getting to sit down and eat it all together after,” he said. “And I can assure you I did very little of the cooking myself.”
Across the 22-video series there were plenty of memorable moments.
“I loved cooking four different dishes with the Indian Society of WA,” he said.
“And I remember the time I cooked a Uruguayan dish – it was outside on the barbecue and a bit of ash flew up into my eye. I had to be rushed to hospital to have my eye flushed. So that was probably memorable for the wrong reason.
“my favourite memory was cooking gnocchi with my mum. She’s since passed away, so it was great to get it on record like that. It’s a memory I’ll cherish.”
The series, which is available to view on YouTube, serves as a tasty reminder that food has the power to unite people, transcend borders, and foster harmony.
As a noted author, it was a natural next step for Dr Buti to put all that he’d learnt into print.
And in December ‘Cooking With The Minister’ – which shares traditional family recipes from 18 different cultures – was officially launched.
“A massive thank you to everyone who contributed to creating the cookbook – sharing their incredible recipes – and helping to celebrate Western Australia’s wonderful, diverse culture,” Dr Buti said.
Limited free copies of the book are available at Dr Tony Buti’s office at 2898 Albany Highway in Kelmscott. Or you can contact your local state member to see if they can hook you up with your own copy.
