Some mustard history:
History
Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. They mixed unfermented
grape juice, known as "
must", with ground mustard seeds (called
sinapis) to make "burning must",
mustum ardens — hence "must ard".
[6] A recipe for mustard appears in
Apicius (also called
De re coquinaria), the anonymously compiled Roman cookbook from the late 4th or early 5th century; the recipe calls for a mixture of ground mustard,
pepper,
caraway,
lovage, grilled
coriander seeds,
dill,
celery,
thyme,
oregano,
onion,
honey,
vinegar,
fish stock, and
oil, and was intended as a glaze for spit-roasted
boar.
[7]
The Romans likely exported mustard seed to
Gaul, and by the 10th century, monks of
St. Germain des Pres in
Paris absorbed the mustard-making knowledge of Romans and began their own production.
[8] The first appearance of mustard makers on the royal registers in Paris dates back to 1292.
[9] Dijon, France, became a recognized centre for mustard making by the 13th century.
[10] The popularity of mustard in Dijon is evidenced by written accounts of guests consuming 70 gallons of mustard creme in a single sitting at a gala held by the
Duke of Burgundy in 1336.
[11] In 1777, one of the most famous Dijon mustard makers,
Grey-Poupon, was established as a partnership between Maurice Grey, a mustard maker with a unique recipe containing white wine, and Auguste Poupon, his financial backer.
[12] Their success was aided by the introduction of the first automatic mustard making machine.
[12] In 1937, Dijon mustard was granted an
Appellation d'origine contrôlée.
[8] Due to its long tradition of mustard making, Dijon is regarded[
by whom?] as the mustard capital of the world
[10]
An early use of mustard as a condiment in
England was in the form of mustard balls—coarse ground mustard seed combined with
flour and
cinnamon, moistened, rolled into balls, and dried—which were easily stored and combined with vinegar or wine to make mustard paste as needed.
[13] The town of
Tewkesbury was well known for its high-quality mustard balls, which were exported to
London and other parts of the country, and are even mentioned in
William Shakespeare's play
King Henry the Fourth, Part II.
[14]
The use of mustard as a
hot dog condiment was first seen at the
1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when the bright yellow
French's mustard was introduced by the
R.T. French Company.
[15]