Mustard fruits

Mostarda di Voghera

It can be intimidating walking into a delicatessen and whilst most of us can identify a number of speciality foods (we’ve seen the chorizo in Spain and the balsamic vinegar is almost a household item now); it can feel like you need a PhD in Unusual Fine Foods to understand exactly what the rows of exotic looking produce on the shelves are.

One of my absolute favourite “unusual” fine foods comes in a pretty jar with a foreign label and very little information about how to use it. You can see the whole candied fruits through the clear glass and they do look appealing – but what to do with them?

I’ll give you a bit of history first - “Mostarda di Voghera” are made by a small family business in Italy and were first written about in 1392 by Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in a romantic letter to a lady of the area. He enthused about the “mustard fruits” and how very delicious they were with cuts of his favourite meats.

So, it has a long history and was loved by a Duke – but what exactly are they? They come in many forms – some jars contain a mixture of candied fruits – whole pears, cherries, peaches, apricots; others are just whole mandarins – but what they all have in common is that they are immersed in a sweet syrup which is infused with mustard seed – giving the whole affair the most divine taste sensation you can imagine – whilst the fruit is sweet, there is a wonderful bite provided by the mustard seed.

I like to eat mostarda fruits with cheese mainly, but they also go beautifully with most meats, whether hot or cold. Try some on the side of your roast beef – it could revolutionise your roast! And not only do they taste superb, they look like jewels if laid out onto a white dish and never fail to make any dinner party all the more beautiful and delicious.

Go on, dare to try something different!