Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Igor · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

Mostarda di Frutta is a traditional Italian condiment made of mustard, red wine, and various dried and fresh fruits. It's sweet but not too sweet, spicy but not too spicy! Perfect with grilled meats, cheese, charcuterie, or anything you like!

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (1)

I can't remember (this blog already has over 100 posts and my memory sucks) if I told you that I am a grocery shopping junkie. All other kinds of shopping (clothes, tools, home decor) are not much of an interest to me. Or should I say, I hate them. There is something about groceries that attract me and force me to spend hours in a supermarket. In fact, I know what it is. The desire to taste things I have never tried or even seen before! That's exactly the same craving that led me to create this blog. So I am not that kind of a junkie throwing everything my eyes see into a cart. I am more like someone standing in front of an Asian shelf for twenty minutes and choosing what new to try today. Yes, sometimes I end up buying too much of strange stuff my taste buds can't even stand. Stuff happens.

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (2)

On one of such grocery scavenging days, I stumbled upon the most wonderful thing I've tasted in a long time. It looked like some sort of fruit preserves but the label said that it wasn't your ordinary jam or anything like that. The fruits were mixed with... Mustard! I was sold immediately. In a blink of an eye. The label also said that this mixture is called Mostarda di Frutta and that it comes from Italy. Sounded good to me!

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (3)

My wife was skeptical at first because fruit and mustard are not a combo you would normally expect. However, after trying it with roasted turkey and cheese (like the label suggested) her doubts vanished like cotton candy at the circus. The flavor was fantastic! We finished the jar on the very next day. Not because we swallowed it like crazy. The jar was really really small and, as you can guess from such a fancy name as Mostarda di Frutta, it cost me a fortune. D'oh!

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (4)

I started looking for ways to replicate this goodness at home. After a few days of trying tons of different recipes, I think I found the one! The closest version to the Mostarda I bought in my local shop. Sweet but not too sweet, spicy but not too spicy... Perfection. I made a bowlful of this divine condiment and it cost me 10 times less. I'm happy as a horse!

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (5)

Mostarda traces its roots to a Northern Italy. It's not something created a few years ago and just produced in Italy. It's a true traditional condiment served with boiled meats for centuries! You can serve it with grilled meats, sausages, pork chops, cheese, charcuterie, anything you like. Try this goodness and come back to thank me later. Oh, you will! Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (6)

Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (7)

Mostarda di Frutta - Italian Mustard Fruits

CookingTheGlobe

Mostarda di Frutta is an Italian condiment consisting of mustard, red wine, and dried fruit. Great with meat and cheese!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 4 dried figs , roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dried apricots , roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • ½ cup dried apple , roughly chopped
  • 1 pear , peeled, roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ cups dry red wine
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup mustard
  • ¼ cup Mustard seeds

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together the figs, apricots, cherries, apple, and pear. Set aside.

  • In a saucepan, add the wine, sugar, and honey and bring to a boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes, until slightly syrupy (it won't get really thick until the next day). Remove from heat and stir in the mustard and mustard seeds.

  • Pour the mixture over the fruits and let sit until the next day in a fridge. It will thicken and become more syrupy. Serve with grilled meats, cheese, or anything you like. Enjoy!

Notes

I used Dijon mustard for this recipe but you can use any mustard you like. If you want more heat, use a spicy mustard.

Adapted from Evelyn/Athens recipe on Food.com

Nutrition

Calories: 2460kcal

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Igor

      Thanks, Suzy!

      Reply

  1. Lisa | Garlic + Zest

    I would spread this on everything! Seriously gorgeous and I love all the flavors!

    Reply

    • Igor

      I am so glad you liked it, Lisa! This fruit mustard is really gorgeous 😉

      Reply

  2. valentina

    Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (8)
    How delicious! I can think of so many things I'd love to serve this with.

    Reply

    • Igor

      Yes, Valentina, there are so many ways to use it!

      Reply

  3. Ilona @ Ilona's Passion

    I always love to see what recipe you created. Very delicious!

    Reply

    • Igor

      It's always nice to read such heart-warming words 🙂

      Reply

  4. Platter Talk

    Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (9)
    Very interesting and exciting new condiment recipe. I'm looking forward to making some for myself.

    Reply

    • Igor

      There is no way you won't love it 😉

      Reply

  5. Barb Funk

    Watched Mary Jerry's Christmas special tonight and they mentioned mustard fruits. I was so excites, because when we visited Banff, the in served mustard melons with their charcuterie. So tasty, I was able to come close to their recipie. I haven't made it in years, because I was the only one that loved it. Your recipie sounds delicious, I can't wait to try it!

    Reply

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Mostarda di Frutta (Italian Mustard Fruits) Recipe - Cooking The Globe (2024)

FAQs

What do you do with mostarda? ›

In Italian cuisine mostarda is used as accompaniment to enhance the typical local products, in particular cheeses and charcuterie. It can also be paired with many savory or sweet dishes, from the most traditional ones to the most unusual.

What do you eat mustard fruits with? ›

It can be served with fish – for example, spooned over roasted salmon – or served as a pickle in roast pork and sausage dishes. However, mustard fruit goes well in any dish where you might use mustard – as in sausages, cold meats, cheeses, and dressings. It pairs wonderfully with pecorino or gorgonzola cheeses.

What is mostarda in Italian? ›

Mostarda is spicy condiment made of candied fruit in a syrup with varying amounts of white mustard mixed into it.

What is candied mostarda? ›

Mostarda is a condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard-flavored syrup. In Italy, the essential oil is employed, which has the advantage of transparency.

Does mostarda taste like mustard? ›

Mostarda has an unusual flavor: somewhat sweet, because the fruit is candied in sugar syrup, but also spicy, with a powerful, pungent kick from the mustard.

What goes well with mostarda? ›

It is excellent if paired with semi-matured cheeses or cuts of boiled meat such as tongue, roast beef and veal tail.

Is mustard fruit edible? ›

Edible parts of mustard (Brassica Sinapis): The edible parts in a mustard plant are mustard seeds and leaves. The seeds are used to make mustard oil and are used as spices.

What does eating mustard do for your body? ›

Mustard's nutritional profile boasts a plentiful supply of essential minerals including calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus and zinc. In addition to being a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids it also supplies tyryptophan, phosphorus, iron and protein. Mustard seeds are also a very good source of selenium.

Can you eat mustard greens raw? ›

You can eat mustard greens raw or cooked, but how you prepare them may alter the vegetable's nutritional content. Cooked mustard greens have higher levels of vitamin K, vitamin A, and copper, but the amount of vitamin C and E is reduced. Add these leafy greens to your diet by: Mixing mustard greens into a chopped salad.

How do you eat mostarda di frutta? ›

Mostarda di Frutta is a traditional Italian condiment made of mustard, red wine, and various dried and fresh fruits. It's sweet but not too sweet, spicy but not too spicy! Perfect with grilled meats, cheese, charcuterie, or anything you like!

What is mostarda fruit? ›

Mostarda (sometimes also called mostarda di frutta) is a northern Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard-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.

What does mostarda taste like? ›

The sweetness of the candied fruit is tempered by the spicy, astringent quality of the mustard oil, giving mostarda a sweet and spicy flavor profile reminiscent of a hot pepper jelly.

What does mostarda smell like? ›

Mustard, or rather, its essence, is the special ingredient in Lombardy's mostarde. It is this hot and spicy, wasabi-like, nose-tingling, lingering scent that makes it a mostarda—not grape must. Mostarda Mantovana, Mantua's version, has been made essentially the same way for centuries.

What language is mostarda? ›

Translate "MOSTARDA" from Italian into English | Collins Italian-English Dictionary.

What is plum mostarda? ›

Mostarda is an Italian condiment, usually served with boiled meat, and is made with a combination of fresh and dried fruits. You can double or triple this quick version, as it will keep in the refrigerator for a week or two and is great to have on hand to add flavor to lean grilled meats.

What does dijonnaise go with? ›

Dionnaise is a simple sauce consisting of a mayonnaise-based aioli combined with Dijon mustard. It's a very popular sauce to serve up on cheeseburgers or even alongside pommes frites. Dijonnaise is very easy to make and is a great sauce to help spice up any dish.

What is Dijon mustard good on? ›

It's perfect with eggs or potatoes (i.e.: devilled eggs, egg salad, mashed potato, potato salad), and provides the right finishing note for simple cheese dishes like mac and cheese, raclette, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Add it to hot dishes at the end, not the start, to retain the spiciness on the palette.

What can I use Dijon for? ›

  • Give Mussels More Muscle. Let's face it. ...
  • Make The Other Fish Sauce. Take a dish of melted butter. ...
  • Get Make Dijon-Crusted Anything. ...
  • Slide it into a casserole. ...
  • Give Some Oomph to Deviled Eggs. ...
  • Spoon It Over Your Next Roast Chicken. ...
  • Use it as an Excuse to Make Paté
Feb 10, 2016

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