Looking for Mustard

French cuisine loves mustard. So France is hit hard when French mustard producers—who source most of their mustard seeds from Canada—face high prices and low supply during severe droughts.

Another major exporter of mustard seeds, Ukraine, is forced to defend itself against Russia (another major exporter of mustard seeds) and is therefore only able to supply mustard seeds in smaller quantities than usual.

Climate change and war are thus also affecting a product that people probably take for granted.

It’s high time we paid more attention to this delicious mustard. Small mustard producers who use locally grown mustard seeds are generally less dependent on developments in the global markets.

Mustard Around the Clock

From white sausages—traditionally enjoyed with sweet Bavarian mustard before 11:00 a.m.—to the vinaigrette for the salad at lunchtime, all the way to an evening meal of liver sausage on bread, a hamburger, or roast beef with onions.

Mustard is a constant companion for foodies, which is why mustard lovers usually have the following five varieties in their refrigerators:

Bavarian Mustard

At its best, this grainy mustard gets its sweetness from the honey used in it. It works well in a vinaigrette where you want to highlight the sweet element.

Tarragon Mustard

Interestingly, it’s one of the most popular types of mustard in Austria, a country known for its love of good food. In Austria, people consume about 1 kilogram of mustard per person per year. After all, who could possibly walk past a sausage stand in Vienna? There, alongside hungry opera and theatergoers, you’ll often find mustard from Krems.

Dijon Mustard

A relatively spicy variety of mustard made primarily from brown and black mustard seeds, which are spicier than yellow mustard seeds.

Whole-grain mustard

If the mustard seeds are used whole or slightly crushed, it’s called “Moutarde à l’Ancienne” in France. Delicious in many sauces.

Sinais Alba, 1887 © Alamy Stock Photo

No frills

You’ll usually find a medium-hot mustard in the fridge at home, which may well come from a local mustard mill. People in Düsseldorf love their Düsseldorf mustard, while those in Frankfurt get theirs from the Fressgass. Mustard without any unusual ingredients is perfect for hamburgers and many other dishes.

If you enjoy cooking at home, you probably have mustard seeds in your spice cabinet, which add not only the sharpness of mustard but also a grainy texture to your dish.

Once upon a time in Burgundy

Dijon mustard is a recipe, not a protected designation of origin like Champagne or Parmesan, for example. Grape juice is added to Dijon mustard instead of vinegar.

When you hear the name “Dijon,” you immediately think of Burgundy—where the grapes could have been used to produce one of those outstanding white or red wines—and you eat this spicy mustard with relish.

Mustard production began in Dijon as early as the 13th century. Today, one of France’s best-known mustard brands, Maille, is part of the Unilever Group, which closed its production facility in Dijon in 2009 and relocated it to a more cost-effective location.

Boutique Maille in Dijon © Alamy Stock Photo

In 1747, vinegar master Antoine-Claude Maille opened his first mustard shop in Paris and quickly became a purveyor to the French royal court. That is why Maille’s mustard jars still bear the date 1747 and the lily emblem—the Fleur de Lys—which symbolizes the French monarchy.

Not everyone loves mustard as much as GloriousMe does

Germany is a mayonnaise-loving country. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office (2020), mayonnaise ranks first among deli sauces at 32 percent, followed by tomato ketchup and other tomato sauces at 30 percent.

Other condiments account for 27.1 percent, while mustard brings up the rear at 10.9 percent, with per capita consumption having trended downward for years.

We, on the other hand, love mustard in all its classic forms and enjoy a classic recipe that the culinary experts at Effile have modernized and that we’ve simplified a bit further:

Eggs in Mustard Sauce

To make 4 servings, you’ll need:

2 eggs per person

200 ml milk

250 ml chicken broth or, alternatively, vegetable broth

250 ml whipping cream

1/2 tsp curry powder, preferably Jaipur Curry from Alten Gewürzamt in Klingenberg

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

30 grams of flour

50 grams of butter

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of Moutarde à l’Ancienne, preferably from the classic French brand Bornibus

2 tablespoons of caper brine

Maldon Salt

Hot Paprika Powder

A pinch of sugar

Boiled potatoes make an excellent side dish and are best to start with, since they take the longest to cook.

How to Make Mustard Sauce

Knead the flour and butter together.

Hard-boil the eggs.

For the sauce, bring the milk, broth, and cream to a boil with the curry powder, paprika, turmeric, and mustard seeds, then add the butter-flour mixture in small portions and stir it in.

Stir in the Maldon salt, caper brine, and hot paprika, and grind in some pepper just before serving. Done.

Thanks to the turmeric and curry, the mustard sauce has an attractive yellow color. It’s a lovely dish that really showcases the different types of mustard and mustard seeds.

Field of mustard flowers © Alamy Stock Photo

We stand with Ukraine

The packaging for our mustard seeds lists Ukraine as the country of origin.

To get a sense of what everyday life is like for people in the war against Ukraine, we recommend the books by Serhiy Zhadan. They are outstanding works of literature that offer a glimpse into life in Ukraine in a poetic and human way.

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Cover photo: Mustard seeds © Alamy Stock Photo