Whether it's pungent or sweet, the flavour is intense.
There can't be many people who haven't tried, at least once, a succulent Frankfurter sausage covered with mustard sauce - a sauce with an intense yellow colour and even more intensely pungent flavour.
What is certain, though, is that not everybody knows how mustard looks in its natural state.
The plant, which belongs to the crucifer family and whose fruit was already known and appreciated in China 3000 years before Christ, can be found throughout the Mediterranean basin in its four varieties: sinapis alba or brassica alba (yellow or white mustard), brassica juncea (brown mustard), sinapis nigra (black mustard), brassica sirvensi (wild mustard).
The bush has bright yellow flowers and bright green foliage. It can grow to a height of 2 metres and the pod-shaped fruit contains numerous mustard seeds. The seeds are valuable from a nutritional point of view as they contain 25-32% protein and no trace of cholesterol.
The ground seeds have an intense and pungent smell and an irritating, harsh flavour which unleashes that hot sensation so typical of spicy foods and gives an unmistakable flavour to any recipe.
But what is the difference between mustard and "mostarda"? Language has given rise to some confusion.
The English word "mustard" and the French word "moutarde" refer to the plant, its seeds and the derived sauces.
The "mostarda", in the Italian meaning of the word, is a piquant preparation based on mustard, but the word comes from the Latin, mustum (mosto) or in English, must, as the wine must was a basic ingredient in several sauces.
The custom of preparing the fruit for the winter months was developed alongside the use of must, vinegar and mustard as a condiment and preserving agent, so combining the sugar with the antioxidant and energetic properties of this spice. The Italian mostarda as we know it today is characterized by the presence of candied fruit in a syrup which has been spiced with a variable quantity of mustard. Although regional Italian traditions have given rise to various versions, the most famous are the ones of the northern regions of Emilia, Lombardy and Veneto.
The one from Cremona has colourful, whole fruit immersed in syrup; quinces are used in Mantua; the one from the Veneto region is more delicate with apples, sieved and mixed with citrus candied peel; The mostarda from Asti is actually made with must but without any trace of mustard. The term "mostarda" can be used to refer to all the spicy sauces made with different types of fruit - figs, apricots, melons, green tomatoes, oranges, pears - these are particularly enjoyable when served with fresh or mature cheeses. We shouldn't forget quince jam which has a solid consistency and an unmistakable taste, although no mustard is added it is a close relative of the other products.
Nowadays, especially in France and Germany, mustard is grown on a commercial scale. It is sown in May and the fruit appears two months later. At the same time the plant regenerates the soil and contributes to its re-oxygenation. The French who are proud of their own traditions still follow the ancient methods of production. The seeds are ground to flour and then mixed with medicinal herbs, spices, vinegar, cider or beer according to secret recipes. "La moutarde" - which maybe takes its name from a contraction of the words "moût ardent" - is graded on the basis of its piquancy and aroma.
Whatever it is, sweet or spicy, home-grown or from the rest of the world, the mostarda retains a flavour from a bygone age. It is a delicious accompaniment to cold and boiled meats, tasty and exotic as a salad dressing and the secret ingredient for many dishes from pumpkin ravioli to the stuffing for feathered game.
