Mustard a Ribbon of Gold

Celebrating a Foundational Part of German Cuisine and the Key to a Great Vinaigrette.

Red jalapeños. Bourbon. Dill pickles. These ingredients have all found their way into jars of local mustard. Following the Americanization of yellow mustard at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, new takes on mustard now dominate shelf space in major grocery aisles, online shops for local foods, and my pantry.

I didn’t always stock mustard. In 2021, like the rest of the world, I sought out easy answers to the question of what’s for dinner. I found one by Alex Guarnaschelli, daughter of famed cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli, who created a no-fail vinaigrette using olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and water. Mustard has governed my cooking since.

While my father slathered brown ballpark-style mustard on Italian sausages flecked with fennel, or mother happily squirted a trail of yellow mustard on a hot dog at a family cookout, mustard’s history is more than the stadium or picnic variety.

Where Does Mustard Come From?

The word mustard is derived from the Latin mustum ardens, meaning burning must, as occurred in Ancient Rome when seeds were ground and mixed with unfermented grape must.

As a spice, mustard has a long and varied history, dating as far back as 3000 BCE in some Sumerian and Indian texts. Mentions of mustard can be found in many ancient writings from the Greeks and Romans, Hippocrates, the New Testament, and more modern-day writings of Captain James Cook and Anton Chekov. A text might reference the white or yellow seed of a plant of European origin, the brown seed of Himalayan origin, or black seeds of Middle Eastern, Asian, or Southern European origin. And to demonstrate its global influence, in the 20th century, mustard became the most widely traded spice in the world. Horseradish and wasabi also belong to the Brassicaceae species that includes mustard.

In general, mustard plants are grown by sowing mustard seeds after the first frost. They do not need prior soaking and are strewn directly into continuously moist soil. Leaves are ready to harvest in 30 to 60 days when large enough to eat. Seeds can be processed after pods have dried and turned pale brown. The pods are picked and crushed to release the seeds. From there, seeds are milled, their husks removed and dust particles swept away.

“It’s the same way we have done it since our company was founded in 1905,” says Chris Woeber, director of operations for the Woeber Mustard Company, where he often visited the original factory on Madison Avenue in Springfield, OH, with his father, uncle, and grandfather. At the age of 6, he stacked boxes, and by high school, he worked the bottling line and ground mustard seed at the mill.

Mustard as an Ingredient, Condiment

Once the seeds are milled, the process of making mustard from the three types of seed—yellow, brown, and black, which are the smallest and hottest in flavor—begins. While preparations vary depending on the product, most commercial mustards share the use of vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, and other spices. They also share an aroma that will enliven the senses, particularly the nasal cavity.

Yellow mustard, made with yellow or white mustard seeds, was first introduced by the company now known as French’s. The broad appeal of yellow mustard on hot dogs exists today. It’s also the most popular seed to ground into dry powder, to which turmeric is often added for coloring.

Brown mustard is made from brown mustard seeds and uses similar components as yellow, with the option for a coarser texture in stone-ground varieties. Stone ground was the first mustard produced by LocalFolks Foods founders Steve and Anita Spencer, who say they source 70% of their ingredients from the Midwest. Brown mustard sometimes contains maple syrup or honey for sweetness. “Our Supreme Honey Mustard is one of my favorites,” Woeber says. “It’s been recognized in national mustard competitions. Clover honey is one of the main ingredients, giving it a very thick texture.”

If one is making Dijon mustard, wine is incorporated into the brown seed paste to resemble verjuice, an acidulant from medieval times made with unripe grape must and water to add a tart spiciness to dressings.

German mustard, or senf, is a mix of yellow and brown seeds, with the brown seeds offering additional bite in flavor. In Cincinnati, the popularity of German mustards is evident at annual events like Bockfest. The Mustard Club of Cincinnati serves Händlmaier Mustard, which is packaged in colorful tubes, at its monthly buffet gathering; the group imports it by the pallet from Regensburg, Germany.

Legend says that Spanish missionaries scattered seeds for black mustard along California’s El Camino Real (a route that connected the 21 original missions in the state) creating a ribbon of gold plants to follow upon return. Nowadays, some states consider the plant invasive due to its weediness in agricultural fields and other planted environments.

How to Use Mustard

With their spicy and sometimes bitter taste, mustard pastes are an excellent addition to any salad dressing recipe, including Niçoise or potato salads. A blend of Dijon mustard, yogurt, cider vinegar, and maple syrup can spice up coleslaw. Mustard is also the key component of Carolina Gold BBQ sauce. Use mustard to produce a zingy sauce for salmon, in pineapple glazes for pork or ham, or with a sturdy German pretzel for dipping. No sandwich is complete without mustard, including Woeber’s best-selling Sandwich Pal Sweet and Spicy mustard. When looking to invigorate a batch of deviled eggs, don’t skip the addition of LocalFolks’ red jalapeño or dill pickle mustards, with “cold brine pickle chunks,” according to Steve Spencer.

Mustard greens make robust, peppery additions to salads, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, and they hold up in stir-frys when sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper are added.

Cholesterol free, mustard is rich in essential minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids, while homeopathic practitioners recognize the benefits of mustard and its oils for congestion, pain relief, and as conditioner for healthy hair.