Quandong Kernel

Santalum acuminatum is a semi-parasitic shrub or small tree of Australia's arid regions, growing about 2 to 6 metres tall, with narrow grey-green leaves. Its roots attach to the roots of neighbouring plants to draw water and nutrients. The fruit is a round red drupe about 2 to 3 centimetres across, with tart, slightly salty flesh. Inside is a single hard, round stone with a pitted surface, which contains an edible white kernel. The kernel is oily, with a mild, nutty taste, and is a relative of sandalwood seeds. Some stones are collected, cracked and the seeds eaten raw or roasted.

The quandong is native to the arid and semi-arid areas of southern Australia, from Western Australia through South Australia to western New South Wales and Victoria, growing in mallee scrub and sandy plains. It tolerates drought and salty soils, and survives in places with very little rainfall. Wild trees remain the main source, though small orchards have been planted in South Australia and elsewhere, using selected varieties with larger fruit. Cultivation is difficult because of the tree's need for host plants.

Aboriginal peoples, including the Arabana, Pitjantjatjara and Noongar, have eaten quandong fruit and kernels for thousands of years. The fruit was eaten fresh or dried for storage, and the kernels were eaten or the oil used on skin. Stones were also used in games, as ornaments and as a medicine in some communities.

European settlers learned to eat the fruit, and quandong pie and jam became a part of outback Australian cooking from the nineteenth century onwards. Today the fruit is sold dried, frozen, or as preserves, and the kernels are a more specialist product. Research programmes in Australia have worked on improved plant selections, and the tree features in the modern bush food industry.

Quandong kernels are cracked from the stones and eaten raw or lightly roasted as a snack, or ground and added to bush food recipes. They can be pressed for oil, which has been used traditionally on skin and hair. The fruit flesh, which most people value more, is stewed, dried, or made into pies, chutneys, jams and sauces, or used in drinks and sorbets. Kernels should be sourced from reputable bush food suppliers, since the quality and preparation matter.

The kernel is high in fat and protein, as reported in food composition studies of Australian native foods, and the fruit flesh is notable for vitamin C and folate. Published nutritional data on the kernel are limited, and the figures given here are approximate. Traditional use does not prove safety or health benefits, so kernels should be eaten in modest amounts as a bush food rather than used for treatment.