Calabria — the mostacciolo tradition in southern Italy is documented from at least the 14th century, but the preparation almost certainly derives from the Roman mustaceum (grape must cakes) described by Cato the Elder. The Calabrian version uses the local Greco Nero grape must.
Mostaccioli are the ancient spiced wine biscuits of Calabria (and southern Italy generally) — a preparation that dates to Roman times: cooked grape must (mosto cotto) or red wine mixed with flour, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and honey (or sugar), shaped into diamond or elongated forms, and baked until firm. They are not sweet biscuits in the modern sense — they are dense, hard, spiced, and wine-dark. They keep for months, which was their original virtue, and they improve with time. The mostacciolo tradition extends from Calabria through Campania and Lazio, but the Calabrian version uses the local greco nero grape must, which gives it a darker colour and more robust flavour.
A mostacciolo has the density of a compressed autumn — the cooked must is dark and faintly bitter; the cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper warm everything; the honey gives just enough sweetness to make the spice palateable. Hard at first bite, yielding after. With a glass of passito wine (sweet dried-grape wine), it is one of the most ancient food pairings in Italy.
The must cotto (cooked grape must): reduce fresh grape juice to one-quarter of its original volume over low heat, skimming constantly — the result should be thick, sweet-tart, and dark. Alternatively, use a dry red wine reduced to a similar consistency. The dough: 500g flour, 200ml mosto cotto, 100g honey, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves (ground), 1 teaspoon black pepper, a pinch of baking soda. Mix to a firm dough — it should not be sticky. Roll to 1cm thick. Cut into diamonds (5x3cm). Bake at 170°C for 20-25 minutes until set and slightly coloured. Cool completely — they firm as they cool. The optional chocolate glaze (modern version): dip the mostacciolo in melted dark chocolate and allow to set.
The chocolate-glazed version (mostaccioli cioccolato) is a modern adaptation but now traditional in its own right — the bitter chocolate and the spiced biscuit is an excellent combination. Mostaccioli keep 3-4 months in an airtight tin. They are the Christmas and New Year biscuit of southern Italy — made in November, eaten through February.
Dough too soft — mostaccioli must be firm; a soft dough produces a thick, bread-like result rather than a biscuit. Under-baking — they will seem soft when hot; they firm completely on cooling. Skimping on spices — the spice level should be assertive; restrained mostaccioli lose their character. Using shop-bought grape juice instead of must cotto — the cooked must's bitterness and depth cannot be replicated.
Carol Field, The Italian Baker; Slow Food Editore, Calabria in Cucina