Mostarda is a sweet condiment made by softening fruit in a sweetening brine of sugar and orange juice tinged with mustard oil or powder. It has been brewed for at least five centuries and is used to complement mainly savory dishes. It pairs well with red meats, cheese, pasta, fish, and poultry.
In Italy, a common accompaniment to many savory meals is the subtly sweet condiment known as mostarda. Paired with meats and other foods, this accompaniment is made by softening the fruit in a sweetening brine of sugar and orange juice that’s also tinged with mustard oil or powder for a dominant kick. Preserved in jars for about two weeks, the result is a lightly spiced candied fruit salad used to complement mainly savory dishes.
Mostarda has been brewed for at least five centuries, according to La Cucina Italiana or The Italian Kitchen magazine. It is included by well-known Belgian chef Lancelot di Casteau in an Italian cookbook from 1604, called Ouverture de Cuisine, which is published online by the medieval cooking website. The journal also attests that nearly a century earlier a jar of the condiment was with famed Italian Catherine de’ Medici when she went in the early 16th century to marry a French prince who would eventually become King Henry II. This dish has evolved in Northern Italy to the point where many towns use their own unique ingredients.
Sometimes the fruit used for the mustard is of one type, such as pear pieces, grapes, or apples. More often, however, it seems chefs are using a medley of fruit to treat certain diners to some of their favorites. The 1604 assortment includes an orange peel and the pear-shaped quince, cut into small pieces. These are combined into a syrup made from sugar, mustard and even rose water for serving.
The basic method hasn’t changed much, unlike the ingredients. A recipe begins by washing and cutting any number of fruits into similarly sized pieces, with berries and grapes typically left intact. This is liberally liberalized with sugar and perhaps citrus zest, then dipped in a range of juices for an overnight soak in the fridge. The next day, the fruit is removed, the liquid is boiled, mustard oil or powder is added, and then the liquid is cooled again for another rest in the refrigerator. Once the liquid is suitably spiced and sweet, it is poured into the top of tightly packed fruit salad jars. These sealed containers are stored in a cool, dry place for at least two weeks.
According to LA Times magazine food critic Sarah Taylor, this dish pairs well with several types of other foods. The richer cuts of braised or roasted red meats are perfectly suited to the sweet and mustard-tinged mostarda. Another food that’s just as amenable to the treatment, Taylor says, is cheese. Cucina Italiana adds pasta, fish and poultry to that list of popular pairings, with a very popular serving in fall as part of a boiled roast dish called bollito misto.
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