QLD cafe Elixiba is now selling hemp burgers
After the use of hemp in cooking was finally legalised in Australia on Sunday, a Queensland cafe has become the first eatery to start selling hemp burgers and other food items containing the seed.
Elixiba manager Mollie Olsson said the novel menu item was already ‘a big success’.
‘It’s really been taking off,’ she enthused noting that the cafe already noticeably more packed than usual.
The Maroochydore restaurant, which already features a plant-based menu and caters to the vegetarian and vegan crowd, is expecting the hemp burger to take off in a big way.
Elixiba owner Kittea Asdis said hemp is ‘an all-round amazing superfood’ that’s high in protein
Elixiba manager Mollie Olsson (pictured) said the novel menu item was already ‘a big success’
Ms Olson told 7NEWS on Monday that there have already been ‘a lot of people coming in for it and a lot of people that are really excited’ over the new menu item
It has been a long process introducing the item onto the menu, and something the cafe has been working on for months.
Owner Kittea Asdis told 9NEWS that hemp is just ‘an all-round amazing superfood’ that was high in omegas and protein.
‘Finally, we’ve got it on board and we’re ready to go,’ enthused Ms Asdis, adding that the restaurant was already packed with curious diners.
One eager diner described it as ‘absolutely delicious – the best burger I’ve ever had’ while another said that it was ‘really, really good’ and ‘actually tastes almost like pulled pork’.
And the plant-based protein is not just in burgers – Elixiba now offers hemp pancakes, hemp-seed cocktails and hemp lattes.
Elixiba now offers hemp pancakes, hemp-seed cocktails and hemp lattes as well as burgers
The QLD eatery features a plant-based menu and caters to the vegetarian and vegan crowd
Australia and New Zealand were two of the last Western countries to legalise the use of hemp in food.
But much to the disappointment of some Facebook commenters, there is no traceable amount of THC in hemp, meaning that it won’t get you high.
Hemp is very quick and easy to grow and doesn’t require much water, so it’s an environmentally-friendly food option as well as being incredibly versatile.
‘You can build with hemp, you can make concrete, clothes, plastic and you can eat it,’ Ms Asdis said. ‘I’m really excited about hemp all-round!’
Hemp seeds are full of essential fats, vitamins and enzymes, as well as omegas and protein