A savory liquid to enhance food, passed down since the cradle of civilization. Imagine 5,000 years ago in modern day Iraq. Sumerian sauciers would grind up mustard seed and mix it with the juice of unripe grapes. Today we still slam dunk dogs covered in the stuff, but it has gone through some transformations as it spread throughout the world.
Mustard eventually spread to Europe where Pope John XXII absolutely lived for it. In the 1300’s he appointed a “Grand Moutardier du Pape” (Grand Mustard-Maker to the Pope). His favorite purple mustard made from red grapes and shallots was all the rage in southwestern France but it never really caught on globally.
France has always been a mustard hotspot. They started using brown mustard seeds instead of yellow and in 1856 Jean Naigeon of Dijon went back to the roots by using unripe grape verjuice instead of vinegar. The modern day Dijon mustard was born. Jean’s dad was vinegar maker…
In the 1880’s American spice trader RT French’s songs George and Francis bough a flour mill in Fairport, NY. That thing burnt to the ground so they doubled down and bought a mill in Rochester, NY. The brothers French thought mustard was too pungent. They created a milder version with turmeric that is bright yellow. They introduced it at the 1904 world fair in St Louis along with hot dogs which went as viral as you can 120 years ago. This world fair was the most epic food festival in American history. Along with French’s and dogs, ice cream cones, cotton candy, iced tea, and hamburgers debuted. French’s is still the market leader in the US today.
I got a local sauce guy named Bob. This guy has kitchen street cred.
He claims mustard can enhance or destroy a dish. He was quoted, “I wouldn’t put it on a hot dog, but I like Dijon chicken cordon bleu.” His favorite is English spicy, I’ll go with spicy brown on pigs in a blanket. Mustard, the sauce of civilization.
