flipMostarda di frutta di Cremona (fruits in mustard syrup)
Mostarda di frutta di Cremona (fruits in mustard syrup)
Why this dish? Mostarda is the sweet pride of Cremona, Campi's city: candied fruits in a syrup spiked with mustard essence, both sweet and pungent. It was kept all winter and served to accompany boiled meats and cheeses — a local pride that a Cremonese like Campi would serve to honor his guests.
Whole or quartered fruits candied in a clear syrup laced with mustard essence: sweet in the mouth, burning afterwards, glossy like varnish.
You have never tasted my Cremona if you have not tasted its mostarda! Pears, quinces, cherries bathed for a long time in sugar, then spiked with that mustard seed that pinches your nose like a draft of air. Sweet at first, fiery afterwards — that's the Lombard character. We serve it with boiled meats, and it keeps glossy in its jar all winter, like varnish on a well-dried painting.
- •Firm fruits (pears, quinces, cherries, figs) — assorted (base)
- •Sugar — equal weight to fruit (syrup and preservation)
- •Mustard essence/seeds — a few drops or ground (pungency)
- •Water — for syrup (syrup)
Mostarda di frutta di Cremona (fruits in mustard syrup)
Whole or quartered fruits candied in a clear syrup laced with mustard essence: sweet in the mouth, burning afterwards, glossy like varnish.
Why this dish? Mostarda is the sweet pride of Cremona, Campi's city: candied fruits in a syrup spiked with mustard essence, both sweet and pungent. It was kept all winter and served to accompany boiled meats and cheeses — a local pride that a Cremonese like Campi would serve to honor his guests.
You have never tasted my Cremona if you have not tasted its mostarda! Pears, quinces, cherries bathed for a long time in sugar, then spiked with that mustard seed that pinches your nose like a draft of air. Sweet at first, fiery afterwards — that's the Lombard character. We serve it with boiled meats, and it keeps glossy in its jar all winter, like varnish on a well-dried painting.
Ingredients (period version)
- Firm fruits (pears, quinces, cherries, figs) — assorted (base)
- Sugar — equal weight to fruit (syrup and preservation)
- Mustard essence/seeds — a few drops or ground (pungency)
- Water — for syrup (syrup)
Ingredients
- Mixed firm fruits (pear, quince, cherry, fig, apricot) — 1 kg (base)
- Sugar — 800 g (syrup and preservation)
- Mustard essence (from pharmacy) OR strong mustard — 10 to 20 drops / 2 tsp (pungency)
- Water — 200 ml (syrup)
- Lemon juice — 1 (balance)
Method
- Cut large fruits into quarters, keep small ones whole. Sprinkle with sugar and let macerate overnight.
- The next day, collect the juice, bring to a boil with the remaining sugar and water, then pour boiling over the fruits. Repeat this process over 2-3 days so the fruits candy gently without falling apart.
- When the syrup is thick and the fruits translucent, add the lemon juice and, off the heat and well cooled, add the mustard essence drop by drop (caution: very potent).
- Place in sterilized jars with the syrup, seal, and store in a cool place.
How it was made : Mostarda di Cremona, attested since the Renaissance, takes its name from mustum (grape must) and mustard. Sugar and pungency ensured long preservation of seasonal fruit. Handle mustard essence with great care: irritating, dose by the drop.
The contemporary twist : A few glossy mostarda wedges alongside aged grana and cold boiled meat, contemporary Lombard platter style.
Bernardino Campi · Charactorium
