MUSTARD AND MEAT, A CLASSIC
By Ann Wilder

Ann Wilder is founder, President, and CEO of VANNS Spices.  She is an international authority on the quality and blending of spices and herbs.            

        Mustard is one of the oldest and most commonly used seasonings in the world.  Its affinity for meat is universally acclaimed.

        There are three varieties of mustard, each with significantly different flavors.  Beyond this, the type and size of the grind changes the flavor, and the absence or inclusion of bran, changes both the flavor and texture.  Spice houses add to the confusion by mixing the different mustards together in order to create other flavors.  There is so much to know about mustards that it is hard to confine the information to anything less than a small book.

        The chemistry of mustard further complicates the picture.  All mustards actually have no flavor until liquid is added, which releases the intense flavor of the essential oils.  When you mix dry mustard with liquid, the result is prepared mustard.  Time must be given for the reaction to take place, usually 10 to 15 minutes.  Acids slightly retard this process as does salt.   Boiling water will kill it, leaving a mild but bitter mustard.  After flavor matures, cooking will not destroy the flavor.  Acids also tame the flavor, which is why so many mustards are made with wine, vinegar and beer.

      As already mentioned, there are three main types of mustard seed.  Although mustard probably originated in the Mediterranean area, it grows wild in the U.S., and almost all commercial mustard is now grown in North and South Dakota, Montana, and Alberta, Canada.

        The darker and smaller the seed, the more intense the flavor.  There are two seeds which are interchangeably called either black or brown.  Both are tasted in the back of the throat and in the sinuses.   The true black seed (brassica nigra) is the most potent, but, because it is difficult to harvest, a sub-species (b-juncea) is used commercially.  This is really an oriental mustard and the color ranges from pale to dark brown.

        Yellow mustard seed, which is often called white, is slightly larger and spicy hot.  This is the familiar mustard of carnivals.   Turmeric is added for color.  Yellow mustard is tasted on the tip of the tongue, which is one of the reasons most commercial mustards use a combination of brown and yellow seeds.  Dijon is an exception as it is required by law to have not yellow seeds.

        Mustard is sold in four forms:  whole seed, course ground, powder or flour, and prepared paste.  Each is quite different from the other, even though they originate from the seed pod of the mustard plant.   In any form, mustard is wonderfully versatile.