In this colourful and cleverly written culinary history of the city of Melbourne, author Charmaine O'Brien guides the reader through the changing eating habits of Melburnians. Beginning with the little-known and diverse diet of Port Philip Bay’s Indigenous inhabitants prior to white settlement, the book charts the effects of local and global events on Melbourne’s gastronomy. Along the way O'Brien introduces us to some forgotten, and often quirky, restaurateurs, food writers and culinary professionals and each chapter contains recipes relevant to what Melburnians were eating during that time period.