Mustard of Bologna is a typical local product. It is a mixed fruit jam used to prepare some local cakes.
For example, it is the filling of pinza (the traditional ciambella cake of Bologna), sweet tortelli, and raviole, the peasant cookies made on St. Joseph’s Day. Or, as in the case of Panone Bolognese and Christmas bread, some people use a bit of mostarda Bolognese in the dough. In Bologna, some people also use it to accompany boiled meats.
Despite its not-so-spicy flavor, mustard of Bologna is a sweet jam with character. It contains a small number of mustard grains sufficient to make it slightly sour, if not spicy.
The custom of processing autumn fruit with mustard and must, also typical of mostarda bolognese, is ancient.
Italian mustards
In fact, the term mustard is almost certainly derived from the Latin phrase mustum ardens. The expression burning must refers to the custom, used since the Roman Empire, of mixing mustard grains and spices with grape must or honey to spice and sweeten sauces and jams.
Italy has many types of mustards, some spicy and others not. The preparation was widely used in a country predominantly agricultural, and it was at least until the mid-20th century because most people didn’t live in the cities. The mustard jam was born from the need to use, by processing it, the last of the autumn fruit: that which had not reached full ripeness, but also the scraps or, finally, the surplus that had not been consumed and could not be preserved. There were many possible variations, even within the same territory, as people used what was available. Among the quince fruit, apples, and pears, sometimes people used a few bunches of grapes or plums. In short, the preparation depended on many variables.
Mustard of Bologna
Despite being a peasant recipe, mostarda di Bologna was, in ancient times, a product intended for the table of the lords, at least the version enriched with spices and honey. Some original documents tell that it was a product highly valued at the table of the Bentivoglio family, the city’s lords, before Bologna became part of the Church-State during the 1500s.
In Emilia-Romagna, in addition to the one from Bologna, savor (flavor) of Romagna and savor of Emilia savor are part of the mustard family.
Further, there is also a summer version of mostarda. In addition to the seasonal varieties of pears and apples, also contains cherries, figs, and apricots.
In the Romagna savor, they still use saba (cooked must), which has taken the place of must, while in the Bologna mostarda, this flavor has been somewhat lost. Or rather, many no longer use it, but I know people who still add must and cook the mixture for hours and hours, sometimes a whole day. On the other hand, the mustard must have a dark, thick consistency that comes from adding the must and the long cooking. In my recipe, I replace, as many do, the must with dehydrated plums to give it a darker color, and I choose a shorter cooking time.
When I was a child, in the Romagna countryside where my maternal grandmother was born and raised, the preparation of savor closed the long season of fruits and vegetables processed to be preserved in jars (jams, purees).
On the contrary, the giardiniera (pickled vegetables in jar) was also made in winter with the vegetables of the moment. I remember that saba (cooked must) was already used in our house instead of must, and sometimes Grandma would add cubes of dried melon, which gave it an incredible aroma and flavor.
Mostarda Bolognese was a relatively recent discovery (I’m kidding; I have been living in Bologna for 25 years).
For a few years, I have enjoyed preparing a few jars and other summer jams to store in the pantry.
The preparation is very simple and identical to that of any other jam.
Kitchen Notes
- Use the fruit you have and want but don’t forget the quinces.
- Today, many people use a zest and juice of the orange; I prefer lemon.
- You can choose between two different methods. 1) cut the fruit without removing the peel and cores, and after cooking, strain everything through a sieve (use the strainer with large holes). Or 2) peel and remove cores and seeds before cooking. I usually prefer the second process.
- Today, saba is expensive, and a ready-made must is only sometimes at hand. For this reason, I use dehydrated plums, which give mostarda their typical dark color. If you have saba or must, use them.
- Quince can be challenging to peel; I usually do well with a potato peeler.
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Mustard of Bologna
Equipment
- a large pot; immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1300 g of quince (apples and/or pears)
- 500 g of pears or apples, not too ripe
- 1 organic lemon, filtered juice, and grated zest
- 200 g of dehydrated pitted plums
- 300 g of brown sugar
- 5 g of mustard seeds
- 100 ml of natural water
Instructions
- Wash and dry the fruit.
- Peel quinces, apples, and pears; remove cores and seeds.
- Chop and arrange the fruit in the pan; add the sugar, grated lemon zest, filtered juice, and mustard seeds.
- Also, add the water and stir.
- Cover the pan with the lid and cook on a small stove over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off and let the covered fruit rest (from a few hours to overnight).
- After resting, reduce to a cream with an immersion blender.
- Return the half-covered pan to a small stove and cook the mustard over low heat, stirring often, for about an hour and a half or until thickened.
- While hot, pour the jam into clean jars, close with airtight caps, and invert until the fruit is completely cooled.
- Store in the pantry for up to a year.
