Dried Quandong with Bush Honey
Dried quandong halves rehydrated and glazed with bush honey, somewhere between jam and candied fruit: bright acidity, round sweetness, ruby color.
Dried quandong halves rehydrated and glazed with bush honey, somewhere between jam and candied fruit: bright acidity, round sweetness, ruby color.
The desert peach, we don't always eat it fresh — we dry it in the sun, and it waits patiently until we need it. It's clever: a fruit that keeps is food for lean days and for the road. You rehydrate it a bit, add a spoonful of wild honey, and the acidity wakes up your mouth in an instant. When I was little, I always kept some: a tangy and sweet taste at the same time, the taste of patience.
- •Fresh quandong (desert peach) — a good harvest (tart fruit)
- •Sun and dry air — several days (preservation drying)
- •Native bee honey — to taste (preserving sweetness)
Dried Quandong with Bush Honey
Dried quandong halves rehydrated and glazed with bush honey, somewhere between jam and candied fruit: bright acidity, round sweetness, ruby color.
Why this dish? The quandong, or "desert peach," is a bright red fruit, tart and rich in vitamin C, which Aboriginal peoples dried to preserve for months and carry. For a Queensland family and for a traveling athlete, it is the perfect sweet-and-sour reserve, a snack that doesn't spoil.
The desert peach, we don't always eat it fresh — we dry it in the sun, and it waits patiently until we need it. It's clever: a fruit that keeps is food for lean days and for the road. You rehydrate it a bit, add a spoonful of wild honey, and the acidity wakes up your mouth in an instant. When I was little, I always kept some: a tangy and sweet taste at the same time, the taste of patience.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh quandong (desert peach) — a good harvest (tart fruit)
- Sun and dry air — several days (preservation drying)
- Native bee honey — to taste (preserving sweetness)
Ingredients
- Dried quandong (or substitute very tart dried apricots) — 200 g (base fruit)
- Water — 200 ml (rehydration)
- Honey (bush honey if possible) — 3 tbsp (sweet syrup)
- Lemon myrtle leaf — 1, optional (perfume)
- Lime juice — a few drops (boosts acidity)
Method
- Soak the dried quandongs in warm water for 1 to 2 hours to rehydrate.
- Pour the fruit and soaking water into a small saucepan, add the honey and the myrtle leaf.
- Simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is tender and the juice syrupy.
- Add a few drops of lime juice at the end to brighten the acidity.
- Remove the myrtle leaf, let cool: keeps for several days in the fridge, like a rustic jam.
How it was made : The quandong (Santalum acuminatum) was commonly dried by desert peoples to bridge the fruitless seasons; it was later rehydrated in water. Rich in vitamin C and iron, it was both a staple food and a sought-after treat.
The contemporary twist : Serve warm over plain yogurt or with a slice of wattleseed damper: a comfort dessert that brings together two recipes from the same country.
Sources : Vic Cherikoff, The Bushfood Handbook, 1989 · Damien Coulthard & Rebecca Sullivan, Warndu Mai (Good Food), Hodder & Stoughton, 2019
Cathy Freeman · Charactorium