Dijon Mustard: the Holy Grail

There are so many things I could say on Dijon mustard, I don’t know where to start! Let me say that if it’s not on my table, part of me is missing. I’m not saying I daub every morsel of my food with it, no, but if there’s a platter of cold cuts in the vicinity, or a roast of some sort, or I’m having a plain ham sandwich, then Dijon is never far from my reach. Plus I love the rush of the mustard when it hits the olfactory system. We have a saying in France, when one is getting angry: La moutarde me monte au nez! “Mustard is getting up my nose!”

I visited the original factory in Dijon though I recall it wasn’t a pleasant weekend (a friend of mine had lost his sister in a car accident and we hastily traveled from Paris to attend funeral arrangements. We found ourselves with a couple of spare hours and took a tour).

Mustard’s history dates back at least 3000 years ago to ancient Asian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Back then, not only was mustard used as a condiment but also as a medication to relieve everything from sore muscles to congestion! Mustard enemas were still around in my youth (I know this, I was given a couple by a nasty nanny)

Mustard is made from the seeds of a plant in the Cruciferae family. Other plants in this same family include cabbage, turnips, and radishes. There are nearly forty different varieties of this yellow-flowering plant that botanists classify into the genus Brassica. However, nearly all the mustards found in your supermarket come from only three of these varieties, Brassica nigra, Brassica juncea, or Brassica hirta. Brassica nigra produces black mustard seeds while Brassica juncea produces brown mustard seeds. Both black and brown mustard seeds are used to make spicy, hot mustards. Brassica hirta produces yellow seeds that are used to make milder mustards. Bleh, not for me!

When making the very first mustards, seeds were ground and mixed into a thick paste with vinegar. A chemical reaction would occur when oils in the ground seeds were mixed with liquid. This reaction is what gives mustard its zing. If you were to take a whole mustard seed and place it on your tongue, it wouldn’t taste like mustard at all!

So, if mustard was made throughout the world why is it that only mustard from Dijon has become so famous? Well, it was in Dijon, France, located approximately 195 miles southeast of Paris, that Jean Naigeon first created, in 1856, what would become known as “Dijon Mustard”. What Naigeon did, that proved to be so successful, was that he substituted verjuice (a sour juice made from unripe grapes) for the usual vinegar. The result was a less acidic and smoother tasting mustard. In fact, the term “Dijon Mustard” refers to this recipe and not to the city itself. I have revered the man ever since I tasted the yellow gold!

Today, authentic Dijon-style mustard can be made anywhere in the world as long as it follows the original recipe established in Dijon. Specifically, Dijon mustard must be prepared from brown or black ground mustard seeds. The seed coats must be filtered out and no coloring agents, stabilizing agents, or fillers may be used. These days, however, instead of using verjuice Dijon mustard is more commonly made using vinegar, wine, or green grape juice.

Along with this new and improved mustard recipe several other factors led to Dijon’s claim to mustard fame. First, it was here in Dijon, in 1853, that Maurice Grey invented a machine that automated the processing of mustard seeds. This invention allowed large quantities of mustard to be made quickly and at low cost. Second, the soil in the Dijon area was very potassium rich and thus provided the perfect conditions in which the mustard plant could thrive. Today, however, almost all of the world’s mustard is made with seeds from plants grown in Canada! Lastly, since Dijon is located in the famous Burgundy wine region of France this meant that there was an abundant supply of grapes from which to make the verjuice.

Grey had earlier teamed up with Antoine Poupon, establishing the famous Grey Poupon mustard company. The original Grey Poupon store, which opened in 1777, still stands today in downtown Dijon. Step inside the oak-paneled interior and you’ll be transported to a time when “moutardiers” roamed the streets selling freshly made mustard right out of barrels. Here you’ll also find reproductions of antique mustard pots. These pretty, hand painted, earthenware pots were used to store mustard in the days before refrigeration. Though it’s safe to keep mustard at room temperature (I stick mine back in the refrigerator, after using it), nowadays mustard is kept cold to help preserve its flavor.

Today, Dijon mustard comes in many different flavors including walnut, blue cheese, raspberry, and champagne. Mustard is still as popular as ever and is enjoyed by people of all cultures throughout the world. Mustard is even considered good for your health, as it is low in both calories and cholesterol but high in protein and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and niacin. Do I sense a recipe involving mustard? You bet!

Tags: , Dijon Mustard, Food