Celebrating National Mustard Day

Mustard – the must have condiment

When it comes to condiments, mustard is perhaps the most popular, used for over thousand years. Today we celebrate National Mustard Day! This special day was created by the National Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It was created as an annual event in 1991. A very strong tasting and often spicy paste, it is a great addition to sandwiches and is also a popular choice for adding to meats. It’s uses are said to date back to 6th century BC where it was used as a remedy for stings the ancient Romans also used to use it as a condiment similar to us nowadays.

Mustard comes from the cruciferous plant family and comes in two main varieties; the white-yellow seed or the Asian-brown seed. The white seed has a weaker taste and is a larger seed and is usually made into the type of mustard found on hot dogs. The brown type has a very strong taste and is usually used in strong tasting or spicy dishes.

There are 3 main types of mustard and each taste different to the next but all vary in strength and flavor:

• Dijon – Made from the brown mustard seeds, vinegar, verjus, and white wine this mustard is a very strong flavor and you will only need a little. Alternatively, you can make a creamy sauce with this mustard to dilute the strength a little.
• English – White and black mustard seeds mixed together, this type of mustard has been made in England since 1814 and is one of the hottest mustards out there – use sparingly.
• American – A much milder flavor than the Dijon and English mustards, this yellow coloured mustard is a great addition to hot dogs or when used as a salad dressing. When mixed with honey and mayonnaise this makes the delicious ‘honey mustard’ dressing.

Cooking with mustard

Not only mustard lends a unique and delicious taste to food, it’s also a low calorie condiment, with no sugar and no fat. It’s often used an ingredient in sauces, marinades, dressings and seasoning.

Here are top five uses of mustard from our end:

1. Mustard Butter
2. Deviled Eggs with mustard
3. Honey mustard recipes
4. Maple mustard glaze 
5. Mustard marinade recipes

How do you use mustard to flavor? Find more mustard recipes on Recipebridge.