Mustard Is Older Than You Think

Mustard Is Older Than You Think

The Romans ground mustard seeds and mixed them with unfermented grape juice — called mustum in Latin — producing a paste they called mustum ardens, meaning "burning must." The English word "mustard" derives directly from this Latin phrase, compressed through Old French moustarde into what we use today.

Roman soldiers carried mustard seed throughout their campaigns, and mustard plants spread across Europe partly as a consequence of Roman military movement. The Gauls were making mustard paste by the 9th century. Dijon, the French city that became synonymous with the condiment, records mustard production from at least 1382, when Duke Philip the Bold granted official status to Dijon mustard makers.

The distinction between mustard types is older than most people realize: yellow mustard (made from mild yellow seeds, vinegar, and turmeric) is the American populist version developed in the early 20th century. Brown mustard (made from spicier brown seeds, used in ballpark mustard and deli preparations) is older. Whole grain mustard preserves the seeds intact. Dijon is made from brown mustard seeds with verjuice (sour grape juice) or white wine replacing some of the vinegar.

The Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin houses more than 6,000 mustard varieties. There is a National Mustard Day (first Saturday of August). Americans consume approximately 350 million pounds of mustard annually.

It has been on sandwiches for as long as sandwiches have existed, and on bread before that. It is one of the oldest condiments still in continuous use. The squeeze bottle is a recent indignity it has managed to survive.