Countdown to Christmas - Italian Style! December 21

photo courtesy justagirlblog.com


Welcome back. We're at Day 21 (ventuno)

All of my countdown posts have been of things that, to me,  say Christmas is coming here in Venice. Today I have another food tradition for you, one that is particularly Northern Italian, and very much a custom in Venice.  Mostarda.

Mostarda, an Italian fruit and mustard condiment, typically served with boiled meats,  consists of fruits preserved in a syrup mixed with either powdered mustard seed or mustard essence. The one shown above  is in the window of one of my favorite shops,  Drogheria Mascari, a wonderful old grocery  located on Calle degli Spezieri in the San Polo district, very close to the Rialto bridge. 

photo courtesy www.imascari.com

When you see the mostarda bowls in the window of Drogheria Mascari, you know it's the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. 

Mostarda can also be purchased in jars in local grocery stores, or you can prepare it yourself at home.

Here's  a link to a typical Mostarda recipe, in case you are tempted to try for yourself.


http://italianfood.about.com/od/saucescondiments/ss/aa121305.htm

                                                             Buon Natale!