'Mostillo', the traditional western Catalan dessert locals are fighting to preserve

In western Catalonia, the Pallars Jussà county, and more specifically the Tremp Basin, can boast of the distinction of having kept alive one of the most indigenous and rooted-in-the-land recipes in all of Catalonia: mostillo.

This dessert dish is made with grape must, flour, and walnuts, and has been passed down from generation to generation to today.

During the harvest season, Casa Badia de Tremp makes more than 100 litres to meet the demand of the locals.

Jaume Badia, from Badia Xarcuters, explained that he follows the ancestral recipe that has always been made in his family home, and he tells the Catalan News Agency that it is one of the most typical dishes of Pallars cuisine.

At Casa Roca in Sant Martí de Barcedana, Mònica Tomàs says it is the star dish of the autumn season and is never missing from her restaurant's menu.

These producers and restuaranteurs have taken it upon themselves to continue the tradition of serving the unique, hyper-local mostillo dish to not let it die out. 

Badia explained that there are small variations in the recipe, but that he has never stopped making it at home, and always following his godmother's recipe.

At a certain point he decided to commercialize the mostillo and time has proven him right. This year, his batch has sold out earlier than expected, and has chosen to modify the recipe and make quince mostillo, which he will present to coincide with the Quince Fair held in Tremp on November 1.

Pallars Jussà is a wine-making region, and locals fondly recall how in every farmhouse, the mostillo was made with the first drop of grapes.

Jaume Badia is not aware of anyone else selling mostillo in Catalonia, and has said that he does it so that this tradition, so deeply rooted in the land, does not disappear, while also paying tribute to his ancestors who have preserved it since before the family can remember.

To promote the product in store, Badia holds tastings so teach people about the dessert and to ensure it does not disappear, as he says he is "concerned" about its future.

Mònica Tomàs, of the Roca de Sant Martí de Barcedana restaurant, meanwhile, explains that she is originally from the local area, where she has always seen mostillo made at home.

In her restaurant, the recipe can change a little with extra honey or sugar, depending on whether customers prefer it sweeter, but the base is the same in all areas where wine was made.

She highlights the value of being a dish her ancestors made that she wants to continue preserving.