flipDried quandongs for the long walk
Dried quandongs for the long walk
Why this dish? To cross the vast country that Baiame traced, lasting provisions were needed. The quandong, a red tangy bush fruit, was sun-dried to keep for entire seasons — a walking provision and remedy for long distances, in the very lands the Creator Father traversed.
Small dried red fruits, with taut flesh, a brisk apricot-tangy taste. They are chewed on the trail or rehydrated into a sweet-sour compote. The reserve that lasts through seasons and accompanies long marches.
Walker of my endless country, listen to the Father's advice: the red fruit that I ripen on the sandalwood tree, do not eat it all at once. Spread it in the sun until it wrinkles and hardens — then it will keep from dry season to rains. Slip it into your fibre bag: when hunger takes you far from water, this small acidic fire in your mouth will restore your heart and your step.
- •Quandongs (desert sandalwood fruit, Santalum acuminatum) — as much as the harvest gives (base)
- •Sun and dry air — several days (drying / preservation)
Dried quandongs for the long walk
Small dried red fruits, with taut flesh, a brisk apricot-tangy taste. They are chewed on the trail or rehydrated into a sweet-sour compote. The reserve that lasts through seasons and accompanies long marches.
Why this dish? To cross the vast country that Baiame traced, lasting provisions were needed. The quandong, a red tangy bush fruit, was sun-dried to keep for entire seasons — a walking provision and remedy for long distances, in the very lands the Creator Father traversed.
Walker of my endless country, listen to the Father's advice: the red fruit that I ripen on the sandalwood tree, do not eat it all at once. Spread it in the sun until it wrinkles and hardens — then it will keep from dry season to rains. Slip it into your fibre bag: when hunger takes you far from water, this small acidic fire in your mouth will restore your heart and your step.
Ingredients (period version)
- Quandongs (desert sandalwood fruit, Santalum acuminatum) — as much as the harvest gives (base)
- Sun and dry air — several days (drying / preservation)
Ingredients
- Dried quandongs (bush tucker stores) or, failing that, tangy dried apricots — 150 g (base)
- Water — a bowl (rehydration (for compote version))
Method
- For the trail version: keep the dried fruits as is in a cloth, to nibble on the way.
- For a compote: cover the dried fruits with warm water and let swell for 1 to 2 hours.
- Gently heat the rehydrated fruits for about ten minutes until they break down.
- Serve warm or cold, as is — the fruit's acidity is enough.
How it was made : The quandong (Santalum acuminatum), or "desert peach", produces a tangy red fruit very rich in vitamin C. It was eaten fresh, but especially sun-dried: the hardened flesh kept for months and was rehydrated in water. Light and durable, it was an ideal reserve and travel food, and its vitamin C content also made it a remedy against deficiencies.
The contemporary twist : Rehydrated quandongs in a tangy compote, served on the seed damper like a bush jam — without a grain of added sugar.
Sources : Tim Low, Wild Food Plants of Australia (1991) · Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu (2014)
Baiame · Charactorium
