The “Mustata ri vinu cottu”: typical Sicilian autumn

The word “mustard” derives from the Latin “mustum ardens”, referring to the must of wine made fiery, spicy, by the addition of mustard grain flour.

In France it later developed as “moût ardent” (burning must), to then become the mostarda we all know today.

The Sicilian mostarda is a sweet, despite being without sugar, it is eaten after a meal and it is of popular origin, typical of the families of farmers who used the bunches forgotten in the vineyards or the fallen grapes, so that nothing went to waste. A simple and genuine dish, therefore, which recalls poor cuisine, with energizing properties, which was liked and still is loved by young and old!

Its implementation involves two steps:

The cooked must is made in the first, which can also be kept for several months in a cool place.

The second involves the preparation of the “pudding”, mixing it with other ingredients, namely flour, ash and toasted almonds.

INGREDIENTS:

100 cl of cooked must
200 g of starch
cloves
chopped almonds

Method:

– To make grape mostarda, you must first of all mix the must with the cold starch and then filter it carefully to prevent lumps from forming.
– After that the cloves and almonds are added.
– Then put everything on the stove over low heat and bring to the boil.
Cook for about an hour from the moment the water begins to boil.

The “mustata” obtained can be consumed within the day, or, if you want to keep it longer, you can let it dry in the sun and when it reaches the right degree of density, keep it in glass bowls.

Text and photos from the web.