The photo of the two sellers of Prickly pears (Fichi D’India) was taken in the market of Siracusa (Syracuse).
I first wrote about prickly pears in a post dated Apr. 15, 2009. This is an update of the post and I have added a recipe for a paste made with prickly pears (Mostarda di Fichi D’India): March 5, 20015 .
Whenever I buy Fichi D’India, I tell others about the joy of eating prickly pears and how to handle and peel them. At the Queen Victoria Market, I often give accidental advice to shoppers who’ve never seen or handled prickly pears.
The fruit can be yellow, purple, or red and ripens in late summer and autumn. When selecting your own fruit (store or stall holders should have tongs available), use tongs to avoid getting pricked by the small, almost hair-like spines that cover the fruit and can penetrate the skin. Alternatively, wrap your hand in a paper bag to protect yourself from the spines.
Sicilians love them, and those who’ve travelled to Sicily would have seen them growing in the countryside, and sold from trucks on roadsides and in markets. They also grow in Calabria and Puglia (all in southern Italy).
Once peeled, consume the fruit raw. They are abundant in edible seeds and may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are certainly worth trying. My elderly Sicilian aunt residing in Ragusa consistently advises me to limit my intake, as the seeds can aggregate and form a blockage in the digestive tract, potentially leading to constipation. Like much of the Sicilian folklore, I do not know if this is true!
Instructions of how to peel prickly pears:
Place the prickly pears in a bowl of water to clean – this also helps to remove some of the spines. My father used to soak them in water overnight but an hour or two should suffice.
Remove the fruit with tongs.
Place on a plate. Use a fork to hold the fruit while peeling.
Use a sharp knife and cut off each end of the fruit.
Make one long vertical slice down the body of the prickly pear.
Use the fork and knife to peel off the thick, fleshy skin that is wrapped around the prickly pear. Discard the skin.
Mostarda di Fichi D’india
Similar to quinces, prickly pears can be transformed into a paste known as mostarda.
The Sicilian moulds, known as formelle, are unique ceramic shapes specifically designed for the creation of decorative mostarda. Historically, these handmade ceramic moulds were employed to shape mostarda. The traditional recipes utilised grape must and ash, and the mixture was crafted from figs or prickly pears. Cotognata (quince paste) was also shaped using Formelle. My relatives residing in Ragusa now roll quince paste into substantial lollipop shapes, coat them in sugar, dehydrate them on racks, and subsequently wrap them in Cellophane paper.
The very ancient fornelle are very valuable. This ancient fornella below, was given to me by my Sicilian aunt and belonged to my great grandmother .
Recipe for Mostarda Di Fichi India:
Peel the prickly pears and crush them with a fork. Place them into a saucepan.
Heat them over moderate heat until they boil – the prickly pears will be more liquid. Strain the mixture through a colander (with small holes) to remove the seeds.
Cool the mixture.
Add some vanilla, sugar, some Marsala, grated orange peel, ground cloves and ground cinnamon (all to your taste). Some also add a few almonds to the mixture.
Add 100 g of cornflour per litre of juice – do this slowly, a little bit of flour at a time and make sure that there are no lumps. You may need a whisk or a blender.
Cook on low heat, stirring often until the mixture thickens into a thick paste to the consistency of a thick custard or polenta. Pour into moulds. Leave overnight.
Take them out of their moulds, place them on a wire rack and dry in the sun for 2-3 days. Turn them over often and bring indoors overnight.
Store them in a dry cardboard box with a few bay leaves (fresh or dry). The surface of the mostarda will become covered with a light and fine white coating of sugar – this means that they are now dry and can be stored in a well sealed ceramic or tin container.
Sometimes vin cotto (must) rather than Marsala is added to the mostarda.
The photographs below were captured in the Market of Siracusa at a shop known as Il Mago Delle Spezie (The Wizard of Spices). The proprietor’s extensive collection of peculiar jars and sacks provided ample evidence of his expertise in the realm of spices.
The proprietor offered both versions of mostarda, one shaped by formelle and the other preserved in a crock, from which he spooned it into jars for sale. Marsala is a fortified wine.
It was only a small shop, but it was indeed filled with treasures from all over the world.
For further reference and photos about formelle, please visit the following:
Mostarda and Cotognata – Sweets shaped in moulds / molds (English and American spelling).