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please pass the mustard

Who doesn’t love mustard, whether it’s yellow or brown, on a hot dog, a sandwich, or even mixed into a casserole, salad dressing, or appetizer? We love our condiments, and after ketchup, no one loves mustard more than Americans. It’s practically a national institution (along with the hot dog). During the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, a small company called French’s introduced their yellow mustard in hot dogs and popularity exploded.

There are more than 40 species of mustard plants, and each of their seeds offers a slightly different flavor and color to create many varieties of mustards. Add other tasty ingredients like cranberries, horseradish, hot peppers, or honey, and the condiment aficionado could have a veritable cupboard full of delicious mustards to try.

In the Bible, the mustard seed is used in the book of Matthew as a parable, where Jesus teaches that one only needs to have the faith of an (insignificant) mustard seed to move mountains. For Christians, it has been a symbol of faith since the New Testament.

The actual seasoning, in some form, dates back to the early Romans, when it was ground from seeds and mixed with juice into a paste, similar to the prepared mustards we use today. The name is derived from “mustum” (from the Latin meaning “burning must”, which was the practice of using the juice of young grapes to form a paste). Mustard as a spice was popular in Europe long before the ancient Asian spice trade, and grape-loving Romans planted it in their vineyards alongside the vines. The country of France embraced it when many brethren in French monasteries were growing, preparing and selling mustard as early as the 9th century and it dates back to the shops of Paris in the 13th century.

Two enterprising Frenchmen named Maurice Gray and Antoine Poupon created one of the world’s most popular mustards, Gray Poupon Dijon, in the 1770s. They discovered that by adding white wine to their private recipe, a totally different and pleasing flavor emerged. His original store still exists in the city of Dijon. Who can forget the classic TV commercial in which two limousines pull up side by side, and a very proper and obviously wealthy passenger knocks through the window to ask if the other limousine has Gray Poupon on board?

Across the pond, in 1866, a Briton named Jeremiah Colman, founder of the recognizable Colman’s Mustard of England brand, was appointed as Queen Victoria’s official mustard maker. Colman pioneered the same grinding technique used today, which pulverizes the seeds into a fine powder in a way that protects the flavorful oils from escaping. In many British pubs, a pot of spicy mustard can be seen on every table which, when a small amount is placed on the tongue, is supposed to create thirst before ordering your favorite ale or ale.

Even Pope John XII was such a fan of mustard that, like Queen Victoria, he appointed a young man as the Great Mustard Maker for the Pope. He turned out to be the Pope’s nephew, who resided in the Dijon region of France.

Like so many other words in the English language, mustard has other, unrelated meanings, such as “cut mustard” or “mustard gas,” a deadly weapon during World War I and World War II. In Ireland, referring to someone as “mustard” can mean bad temper.

Regardless of your preferences (make mine Gray Poupon, please) there are hundreds of mustards to choose from. If you can’t get enough, you can visit the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, where more than 5,500 mustards are on display, and you can try many of them at the tasting bar. And, of course, there are hundreds of beloved mustards for sale, so you won’t walk away empty-handed.