# Cheese hounds: what is this--onion jam?--and how would I make it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2019, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081 "2019-01-02T04:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081/1 "2019-01-02T04:58:29Z")
I was at an Italian restaurant a while ago and had a cheese plate that came with three sweet garnishes: honey, a jam, and then something that was a bit dry and crystallized but sweet. You can see it [here (top-most tumbler)](https://photos.app.goo.gl/RC79ef8kSsbV6fok6). Unfortunately at the time I didn’t think to ask what it was and they haven’t responded to inquiries. (In their defense they probably change the menu all the time and may not be able to tell me anyway.) I think it might have been an onion jam but I haven’t been able to find onion jams that fit it exactly; they are all too wet and brown. The closest I’ve found is [this recipe](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220546/onion-jam/) but it may just be how it’s lit in the picture. Any ideas on what it might be? If it is an onion jam, how could I make it to come out like that? It’s got a pinkish hue so it might not be onions at all. And yes, it was one of my all-time favorite cheese plates. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081/2 "2019-01-02T05:29:24Z")
Quince paste, aka quince cheese? It doesn’t have any sort of allium flavour but is traditional with cheese. > **[Quince cheese](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quince_cheese)** > > Quince cheese (also known as quince paste) is a sweet, thick jelly made of the pulp of the quince fruit. It is a common confection in several countries. > Traditionally from Mediterranean. In Iberian Peninsula, it is called ate or dulce de membrillo in Spanish, marmelada in Portuguese, marmelo in Galician and codonyat in Catalan, where it is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made of the quince (Cydonia oblonga) fruit. It is also very popular in Hungary (as birsalmasajt), Brazil (as marmela... ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081/3 "2019-01-02T05:55:22Z")
There are fig and guava pastes that might be similar to what you had as well. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081/4 "2019-01-02T16:10:22Z")
Mostarda? > [@](#): > > Mostarda di frutta is a Northern Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard- flavoured syrup. > **[Mostarda](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostarda)** > > Mostarda (sometimes also called mostarda di frutta) is a northern Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard-flavoured syrup. Commercially the essential oil of mustard is employed, which has the advantage of transparency; in home cooking, mustard powder heated in white wine may be used. > Traditionally mostarda was served with boiled meats, the bollito misto, which is a speciality of northern Italian cooking. More recently it has become a popular accompaniment to cheeses. > Mostarda di C... ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-hounds-what-is-this-onion-jam-and-how-would-i-make-it/827081/5 "2019-01-17T19:31:15Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. Mostarda is close but I don’t think that’s it. I’ve checked around a few places and nobody can quite place it. A mystery! I guess I’ll just have to go back.