Eating on Country

Passport & Plate - Quandong Jam

Australia | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 3 photos

Ingredients
Quandongs (as many as you can find), sugar (about the same amount as the quandongs) and water (enough to just wet the sugar).

 

How to prepare this recipe
Cut the quondongs into quarters and pull the fruit from the seed. keep the seed, as it can be used later. Slice the fruit into thin pieces. If you want a texture more like marmalade, slice it a bit thicker. Put the quandong in a saucepan with other ingredients. Turn on the heat and stir. If it starts to bubble turn the temperature down. It will change to be thicker. Put a small spoonful on a cold saucer, if it goes solid your jam is ready. The jam can be eaten on icecream, yoghurt or damper, it can also be used as a glaze for meat. The seeds can be used to make jewellery or as marbles for children.

 

The story behind this recipe
This is a traditional recipe from the Ballardong Country of the Noongar people in Western Australia. Aboriginal culture in Australia has changed a lot since the Western world came along. Many people were dispossessed from their land and consequently a lot of traditions have been lost. Food is a reflection of identity. For the Noongar people, traditional foods represent and celebrate strong cultural survival. Quandongs are not available from the supermarket (but they do grow in most parts of Australia), so a big part of the experience is the bonding and excitement of finding the fruit. They grow in large bushes at the roadside just as the weather starts to warm in Spring.
I had the opportunity to go with a family to pick quandongs, which we used them to show Aboriginal children how to make the jam. I have written this recipe how it was told to me from the community. You may have noticed the recipe does not have any measurements or timeframes, it in itself, is a story.