peach apricot mostarda

Peach mostarda is what I always secretly want peach jam to taste like. It’s a sweet, spicy, tangy, pungent mixture of fruit that goes with pretty much everything. There’s a wide range of textural variations and techniques when it comes to mostarda, but I prefer the chutney style.

It’s thick and spreadable, yet it has enough chunky texture to be interesting. You can think of this peach mostarda as a spicy peach mustard chutney or relish, if you’d like. My husband and I devour it with salty pretzel sticks, and it’s the first thing to go on a charcuterie board. Further down in this post, I share a list of a ton of ways you can use this peach mostarda in addition to, say, by the spoonful.

what is mostarda?

At the most basic level, mostarda is an Italian condiment made up of fruit, sugar, vinegar, and mustard. The pungency, technique, and mixture of fruit will completely vary based upon where the mostarda is made.

Traditional mostarda from Cremona can take several days to make, as very large pieces of fruit (sometimes whole!) are essentially candied in a sugar syrup and then mixed with mustard oil at the end. This style of mostarda is great to use as a condiment for meats.

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Unfortunately, mustard oil is illegal in the U.S. and powdered mustard gives a muddied appearance to the clear syrup. So for this peach mostarda recipe, I’ve chosen to approach it more like a chutney. I’ve used both powdered mustard and mustard seeds, in addition to ginger and cayenne, to give layers of heat and punch.

I love the spreadable nature of finely chopped fruit along with the pungent kick of mustard and feel it makes the mostarda the most versatile. So while it’s not the most traditional process, it’s a solid and delicious approach to one of my favorite condiments. 

how can I use peach mostarda?

• As a condiment for roast chicken, pork tenderloin, grilled sausages and kebabs
• Spooned over camembert and baked
• On a cheese and charcuterie platter
• As a snack with pretzels and salty crackers
• Mixed with mayonnaise and spread on a sandwich (like ham and swiss or turkey, bacon and avocado)
• Spread on a grilled cheese
• Thinned with water and brushed on meat or seafood as a glaze
• Spread on crackers with foie gras
• As a dipping sauce for fried appetizers (samosas, pakoras, tempura vegetables, mozzarella sticks)
• Dolloped in a savory parmesan thumbprint cookie
• Add a teaspoon to your salad dressing, in place of honey or sugar
• Mix into your next batch of BBQ sauce

related recipes:

honey baked camembert with rosemary and chili flakes

pickled cherries with black pepper and thyme

slow roasted summer tomatoes

whole grain seed bread

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