‘One taste and I was hooked. I have bought it since at Bon Appetit in Princeton, where they sell a classic version, Mostarda de Cremona, made with miniature whole, candied fruits.’
By Faith Bahadurian Special Writer
My heritage from Lombardy reared its head the first time I tasted mostarda, the sweet-hot condiment that is a classic accompaniment to boiled meats and cheese plates in northern Italy. Mostarda is candied fruits in syrup that has been spiked with some form of mustard (more on that below) and maybe a little white wine vinegar. The two most famous versions are from Cremona and Mantova.
One taste and I was hooked. I have bought it since at Bon Appetit in Princeton, where they sell a classic version, Mostarda de Cremona, made with miniature whole, candied fruits. Then I started noticing it on restaurant menus.
Acqua Ristorante in Raritan makes apple mostarda to accompany their cured meat and cheese antipasto. A Voce, the tony restaurant in Manhattan, serves a dried cherry version with their famous duck, pork, and foie gras meatballs. At Blue restaurant on Long Beach Island this past summer, their cheese plate was accompanied by a delicious version made with citrus rinds and mustard seeds.
Could mostarda be the next big thing in condiments?
Mostarda has been made in Italy for hundreds of years. It was the condiment of aristocrats in the Middle Ages, as the Bon Appetit Web site tells us (www.bonappetitfinefoods.com).
In the extensive information that Kyle Phillips, a food scholar and writer living in Italy, posts online (http://italianfood.about.com), we learn that the word is derived not from “mustard” (which is “senape”), but from the French term “mout ardent,” meaning fiery must. The condiment was first made by adding powdered mustard seed to unfermented grape must, then cooking it down. (Translators call words with such misleading beginnings a “false friend,” Mr. Phillips tells us.) His Web site has several recipes, including the one below from Mantova.
When I was in Florence last fall, I sought out mostarda at Perini’s in the Central Market. I was lucky to get two small jars for the price of one, normally more than $30 apiece — one of orange and one of zucca, yes, made from candied pumpkin, and it is fantastic. That is not so farfetched as it may sound; I have also encountered candied pumpkin in Thai cooking and at an Argentine vendor booth at the Fancy Food Show in New York.
A classic pasta dish in Lombardy is Tortelli di Zucca, the filling made with mashed roasted pumpkin, crushed amaretti cookies and mostarda. And in the environs of Milan, the locals eat stracchino cheese (a domestic version is available at Wegmans) on Christmas Eve with mostarda.
I am going to make my own mostarda this fall, and hope to have enough success to give some away for holidays. I have on hand small lady apples from Whole Foods, quince from Wegmans, seckel pears (not really tart enough, but cute), and, since I could not find kumquats, I will add some orange and grapefruit rind. And while figs are commonly used in mostarda, I am opting for dried apricots and cherries instead, because I want the brighter colors.
Mostarda di Cremona contains bright red cherries like the ones used for fruitcake, which leads me to think one could “cheat” by buying good quality candied fruits, briefly simmering them in sugar syrup with a tablespoon or so of white wine vinegar, then cool and add mustard seeds or powder. It should “zing,” without being too spicy.
MOSTARDA DI MANTOVANA
adapted from Kyle Phillips,
www.italianfood.about.com
1-1/3 pounds tart apples
1-1/3 pounds tart pears
1 pound 2 ounces sugar
1/3½ cup mustard seed or 2-3 tablespoons mustard powder, to taste (If you use powder your syrup will be cloudy.)
Peel and core the fruit, then slice it finely and put it in a bowl, sprinkling sugar over the slices as you go. Cover the fruit with the remaining sugar and let it macerate for 48 hours, covered, in a cool dark place.
At the end of this interval you’ll find a syrup in the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the syrup to a pot, bring it to a bowl for a couple of minutes, then pour it back over the fruit. Let the fruit rest 24 hours more, repeat the process, and then do so again the day after.
The day after the final boiling of the syrup, transfer everything to a pot and simmer the mixture gently to drive off most of the liquid. When it has thickened, stir in the mustard, let it cool slightly, and transfer it to sterile jars. It’s perfect with boiled meats.
Note: Purists simply concentrate the syrup, without cooking the fruit.
MOSTARDA DI FRUTTA
adapted from Italianmade.com
2 pounds, 3 ounces mixed fruit (cored apples and pears, pitted peaches and apricots, citrus)
3 cups honey
1 lemon
½ cup mustard seeds
1 cup white wine
Wash and dice all the fruit. In a casserole, cover the fruit (first the ones which take longer to cook) with water and add one tablespoon of honey, the grated rind and the juice of a lemon. Cook the fruit for 30 minutes over medium heat. Remove from fire and cool.
In a second casserole, warm the wine and the rest of the honey; reduce the syrup by one third and mix in the mustard.
Remove from heat and cool.
Combine the fruit (not drained) and the syrup. Mix well and refrigerate.

