Mostarda is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 condiment

Condiment

A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...

 made of candied fruit and a mustard

Mustard seed

Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...

 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.http://italianfood.about.com/od/saucescondiments/ss/aa121305_7.htmhttp://italianfood.about.com/od/saucescondiments/ss/aa121305_8.htm

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.

Variations

While mostarda di Cremona or mostarda cremonese (from Cremona

Cremona

Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...

) is made with several kinds of different fruit, mostarda di Mantova (also called mostarda di mele campanine or mostarda mantovana) is made from small, sour green apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

s called mele Campanine.http://lnx.melacampanina.it/mostarda-mele-campanine-p-75.htmlhttp://cucino-in-giardino.blogspot.com/2006/09/basilico-dark.htmlhttp://www.emercatino.net/Prodotti_Tradizionali/Tradizionale_Condimenti/tradi_MostardaCampanine.htm The original recipe is from Cremona, and the variation is from Mantua

Mantua

Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...

, both in Low Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

 (Bassa lombarda).

An important variation or type of mostarda is mostarda vicentina, which is typical of the town of Vicenza

Vicenza

Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...

 (Veneto

Veneto

Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...

); its main difference is its jam-like appearance and the use of one main ingredient: quince

Quince

The quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region...

(mele cotogne), and also pears.

Other versions include mostarda di Voghera, mostarda siciliana, and mostarda bolognese.

External links

• Photo of a jar of mostarda
• Photo of mostarda mantovana in a grocery shop window
• Mostarda di Cremona, description at prodottitipici.com.
• Mostarda di Mantova, description at prodottitipici.com.