Mustard

Generality

Mostarda is a typical Northern Italian product, or rather "Padano", and the most famous type is undoubtedly that of Cremona (Lombardy region); there are also famous types of mustard in Mantua and Vicenza. The main ingredients of mustard are: whole or chopped fruit (cherries, pears, quince, mandarins, figs, apricots, peaches, etc.), water, sucrose (replaceable with fructose) and crushed spicy mustard seeds (easily replaceable by essence) extraction). Obviously, as with many culinary preparations, the composition of mustard and the related procedure vary according to the place of origin.

Mustard is a very caloric food, quite sugary and spicy, which is born as a combination with boiled meat (beef muscle, bone-hole, hen, capon, guinea fowl, tongue, etc.). It is consumed more frequently in the winter period when, both the boiled and the meat advanced by the broth, become customary preparations with a weekly incidence (especially at Christmas time).

The mustard is therefore a type of preserved fruit; some closely resemble a jam, others with candied fruit and then in syrup.

Mustard was mentioned for the first time by a French (nation of origin) who gave it the name of mustum ardens (post-classical Latin), since, at least initially, it appears to have consisted of cooked and added red wine must in chopped mustard (paradoxically very similar to the current Sicilian mustard *).

* Sicilian mustard is a rather special dessert that has little to do with the typical "padana" mustard.

Sicilian mustard is produced with fresh, unfermented must of regional red grapes (sweeter and less hydrated than the northern one); the juice is then filtered by the pomace, boiled with a well-closed bundle containing ash (obtained from untreated wood) and, towards the end of cooking, thickened with a little soft wheat flour. Having reached a consistency similar to a custard or a bechamel, the Sicilian mustard is filtered, portioned into saucers or small bowls and, on the surface, sprinkled with hazelnuts previously roasted in the oven (always available on the slopes of the volcano or on the surrounding hills) . Sicilian mustard DOES NOT require sweetening with sucrose.

Preparation of the easy homemade mustard

According to the Cremonesi, the preparation of "any mustard" is not particularly complex; on the other hand, to get the "right" mustard, the speech totally changes. Both experience and the care taken to record one year for the other are decisive: the ingredients, the proportions of the fruit mixture and the quantity of mustard essence or crushed mustard. In this way, it is possible to work continuously and for a long time on one's own recipe, perfecting it over time. These are behaviors inherited from the monks (great lovers and refiners of mustard), but which we "neophytes" leave to the experts of the famous salsa; let us limit ourselves to providing a basic and always welcome recipe for mustard:

Ingredients of the simple mustard: mixed fruit (cherries, pears, quinces, mandarins and / or oranges without seeds, figs, apricots and peaches, and possibly exotic fruits such as pineapple, mango and papaya); enough water; sucrose or fructose (in a quantity equal to half, by weight, of the cut fruit); mustard grains (about 25%) or mustard essence (10 to 20 drops per 1000g).

Process for the production of simple mustard

1. peel the tangerines and / or oranges, the figs (only the green), the pineapple, the mango and the papaya (according to the tastes, prepare also apricots, peaches, pears and quince);
2. pitted cherries, apricots and peaches (and possibly mango and papaya);
3. remove the core from pears, quince and pineapple;
4. cut the big fruit into pieces of about 20-40g;
   5. let the fruit macerate in sugar for a whole day (keeping it well covered and cool);
   6. put everything in a saucepan with a little water;
   7. with medium heat (and sprinkle flame), bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes without a lid (for pieces of fruit, always less than 10 minutes);
   8. leave to cool and rest for a day without a lid but covering with a cloth;

9. repeat steps 5 - 8 once or twice (based on fruit size); then add the essence of mustard or crushed mustard seeds in varying quantities;
10. invasive, sterilize and store in the pantry.

Hypothetical nutritional properties of mustard

The nutritional properties of mustard are therefore ambiguous; certainly, since it is preserved fruit, mustard will be almost completely deprived of the thermolabile and oxidation-sensitive vitamin (for example, ascorbic acid or vitamin C), typical of fresh fruit; moreover, mentioning that conserved in syrup (Cremonese type), also the salt content should be significantly compromised by dilution in the governing liquid. Looking at the ingredients, it is not difficult to understand how the mustard can negatively affect the nutritional balance of the meal; the intake of simple sugars (fructose and sucrose) is very high and with it the energy density of the preparation drastically increases (in addition to the risk of tooth decay). The mustard is therefore a food not recommended both for the diabetic's diet and for the overweight's diet.

Let me be clear, mustard is a real "accompanying sauce" and the portions MUST conform to this function; nevertheless, for the types of mustard "from whole fruit or large pieces", it is particularly difficult to respect the mode of consumption. To limit the nutritional imbalance imposed by large portions of mustard it is advisable NOT to take other foods containing simple carbohydrates (and, in my opinion, even those with complex carbohydrates) within the same meal.

The only positive aspect of mustard (in addition to taste, we mean!) Concerns preparations that contain quince or quince pears; these fruits, besides giving an exceptional aroma, are very rich in dietary fiber (5.9g per 100g of edible portion). This means that even small portions positively affect reaching the recommended daily ration (about 30g per adult).