Onion stalk, parasol, bleeding fairy helmet, lawyer's wig, chicken of the woods, native bread and velvet shank are some of the mushrooms you'll find in Australia. Some taste a lot better than others and have been championed as a sustainable alternative to meat. Across the world, growing mushrooms has helped disenfranchised people gain economic independence.

This episode features food, travel and cheese judge, Mike Butler; co-founder and chief science officer of Fable, Jim Fuller; and farmer, educator and founder of The Future of Hope Foundation, Chido Govera. A special thanks to the Australian Mushroom Growers Association; the National Film and Sound Archive; and the Tasmanian Archives.

This episode was inspired by items from the Powerhouse Collection, including a glass plate negative of the Hawkesbury bridge; a model of stink horn fungus; and a mushroom shaped decanter topper.

Culinary Archive Podcast is a Powerhouse series hosted by Lee Tran Lam. Listen to season 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Image: Alana Dimou

Australia is home to one of the world’s oldest honey cultures. For thousands of years, Indigenous people have harvested honey from sugarbag bees and honey ants which inspired kids TV and Japanese comic books. Australia’s native sweeteners probably predate the honey found in Egyptian tombs, which still proved edible 3000 years after it was buried. Contemporary Australians have found multiple uses for honey, whether in our food, on our skin or in our hair.

This episode features food, travel and cheese judge, Mike Butler; beekeeper and founder of Honey Fingers, Nic Dowse; and co-founder of Walaja Broome Bush Honey, Dianne Appleby (Yawuru). A special thanks to Barnes Naturals; Imparja Television; the National Film and Sound Archive; and the Tasmanian Archives.

This episode was inspired by items from the Powerhouse Collection, such as a 1931 beehive, Martin Boyd Pottery honey jar and handwritten ‘Lemon Honey’ recipe.

Culinary Archive Podcast is a Powerhouse series hosted by Lee Tran Lam. Listen to season 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Image: Alana Dimou

There's an eel known as a living fossil because it resembles its dinosaur-era ancestors. And the Budj Bim eel traps, at least 6600 years old, confirmed that First Nations people have been catching eels for millennia. In medieval England, these fish were used to pay the rent and today, Australians have even turned them into musical instruments and glass art.

This episode features historian and curator, Dr Jacqui Newling; chef and co-owner of Porcine Bistro and founder of Smoketrap Eels, Nik Hill; food writer, photographer and award-winning author, Emiko Davies; composer, performer and marine scientist, Emily Sheppard; and glass artist, Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello OAM (Arrernte). A special thanks to the National Film and Sound Archive; the Tasmanian Archives; and the University of Melbourne.

This episode was inspired by items from the Powerhouse Collection, such as Jennifer's glass eel traps, Japanese fabric featuring eels and a 19th century image of fishermen showing off their eel catch.

Culinary Archive Podcast is a Powerhouse series hosted by Lee Tran Lam. Listen to season 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Image: Alana Dimou