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Monday 8 August 2016

Mustard

Mustard is prepared by grinding the seeds of the Mustard plant, and mixing them with water or vinegar.

The Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. They mixed unfermented grape juice with ground mustard seeds to spice up their meals.

The creation of the word 'mustard' comes from Roman times. By mixing the grape juice (the must) with ground mustard seeds, it became known as making “burning must”, known in Latin as mustum ardens.


Pope John XXII (1249-1334) was a great mustard enthusiast and created the post of great mustard-maker to the Pope for his nephew who lived near Dijon. After this appointment by the pontiff, Dijon became the mustard capital of the world.

Mustard seeds were introduced to the UK in the 12th century and originally ground down to disguise the flavor of rotten meat.

Mustard was formerly made up into balls with honey or vinegar and a little cinnamon, to keep until needed, when they were mixed with more vinegar. It was sold in balls until a Mrs. Clements, of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England invented a method of drying the seeds sufficiently well for them to be made into a powder. She first marketed her paste-style mustard on June 10, 1720.

Jarlhelm assumed (based on copyright claims). - Wikipedia Commons

Jean Naigeon originated Dijon mustard in Burgendy the 1750s by using the juice of not-quite-ripe grapes in place of vinegar in the usual mustard recipe.

Benjamin Franklin, brought mustard to the U.S. upon his return in 1758 from being the Ambassador to France.

The use of mustard as a hot dog condiment was first said to be seen in the US at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair; it was introduced by the R.T. French Company.

The Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, holds the world's largest mustard collection. The museum contains more than 2,300 varieties of mustard.

The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum celebrates National Mustard Day each August.

The mustard seed is a dullish gray, brown color. The mustard condiment's striking yellow color comes from the rootstock of a plant called turmeric, which has been used as a natural food dye for centuries.

Mustard seeds
A few spoons of mustard can help fight off leg cramps due to the amount of magnesium it contains.

Mustard will never go bad due to it's antibacterial nature, although it can dry out.

Sources The-mustard-factory.com, Food for Thought by Ed Pearce


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