I recently received criticism for daring to open a specialty food shop and not bothering to have enough knowledge about mustard. No doubt this criticism came as a humbling experience to me. I had sworn up and down I would run a hands on operation, work side by side with my staff and know every single aspect of my shop and the products we carry. And then we opened our doors. Suddenly there were accounts to balance, checks to write, vendors to call, staff to manage, floors to sweep, sandwiches to make and somewhere in there a night or two of sleep.
So, while I ran around going absolutely out of my mind, my mustard collection was growing with or without me. So were the requests for mustard! Someone called my shop looking for a particular type of mustard. I cheerily answered the phone, and as the other end of the line began asking questions, I tromped around my shop pulling mustard off the shelves and reading the label to him. Apparently, this displayed my lack of mustard genius. I’m sure the person calling me out on my lack of mustard acumen had no intention of making an expert out of me when he dribbled out his internet ink. But, here goes.
I googled “mustard.” Came up with 18,800,000 hits. The top two hits were Wikipedia posts. The first dealing with the mustard plant itself and the second giving in depth attention to mustard, the condiment. Can you guess what the number 3 hit was? Think. Think hot dogs. Think of your childhood and those battles you had across the table with your little brother. He had the red bottle, you had the yellow one and the food fight was on! French’s mustard.
Of course, I went to their website first. This icon of the American hotdog and other picnic table extravaganzas should be able to tell me all about mustard right? Yeah, well, no. It’s all about the marketing. The entire website is dedicated to exclaiming what mustard is not! Mustard is not unhealthy. Mustard is not as fatty as mayonnaise or as sugar laden as ketchup. There’s even a calorie counter on their website. I had no idea mustard had been in heated competition with ketchup and mayonnaise. I thought of them as friends, colleagues, blood relatives even. I am sadly mistaken.
I moved on to hit number three. The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and Mustard Store. There’s a museum dedicated exclusively to mustards in Mt. Horeb Wisconsin. Who knew? They house over five thousand mustards and offer close to eight hundred different mustards for sale to what I am sure is thousands of visitors a year! I learned all sorts of stuff. Did you know there is a National Mustard Day? Mark your calendars for August 2. Also, there’s an annual writing contest dedicated to this amazing condiment. The submission deadline has sadly passed. The Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum was founded by a gentleman named Barry Levenson who decided to start a mustard collection back in 1986 when the Red Sox lost the 7th game of the World Series. (I don’t get the connection either. Maybe it’s a hotdog thing.) Alas, not one bit of information on this website about mustard history, it’s ingredients, how it is made or flavor profiles. Nothing! Nada! Zilch!
Back to Google, I went. I gave in and surfed my way over to Wikipedia. None of us have a lot of time these days,least of all me, so I’m just going to get down to it. Here are a few things I learned. Sit up straight and take notes. There will be a quiz later!
-Mustard was invented by the Romans.
-It’s name is derived from the term “must” which is unfermented grape juice. Must was blended with mustard seeds to create the earliest form of mustard.
-The heat of mustard is determined by the type of seed used and the preparation method. If the mustard seeds come into contact with heat, it breaks down the oils in the seeds and reduces their potency thereby mellowing the mustard.
-Dijon mustard is not covered by any geographical protection or designation. In other words, the term “Dijon Mustard” is not protected like French wines or Italian tomatoes or olive oils. Dijon mustard’s primary distinction is that it contains verjus, or acidic grape juice instead of vinegar.
-Whole grain mustard, of course, mean the seeds are not ground. But, my primary question would be ‘what is the fundamental difference in eating or cooking with whole grain versus ground?’ The Wiki people did not address this.
-There’s something called an Irish Mustard which is a blend of whole grain mustard, honey and Irish Whiskey. I’m determined to find this for The Mercantile. I’ll let you know if I do.
-Prepared mustard in Europe is often sold in squeezable metal tubes. (Sounds like a good practical joke to play on a morning tooth brusher!)
From what I understand Wikipedia is rather “unofficial” and I don’t take it as gospel. How do I know the person posting on Wikipedia is a mustard expert? So, I decided to implore someone I consider to be an expert. I reached out to the maker of our top selling mustard, Kelly Davis, founder and maker of Lusty Monk Mustards.
“I would never claim to know all about mustards, Janea, so I’m not sure I’m the authority on all that. I know MY mustards.” Already, I liked this response, because I could tell I was getting information not only from a point of humility, but also from a place of passion. Mustards are clearly a personal affair to this woman. “…I thought it was odd that an art form, mustard making, that had been so common in the home had just died out. In Victorian England they would frequently make mustard fresh daily, because they wanted the strong flavor.” If you’ve never had Lusty Monk Mustards, you have not truly tasted a strong flavored mustard. People stop into the shop all the time just to have their sinuses cleared with a sample.
She explained that most prepared mustards are cooked. “…in fact most of the mustards you get in the stores have been heat processed in some way.” She not only prefers whole grain mustards, but prefers to make Lusty Monk mustards uncooked… “and that’s why it has that pungent bite-the volatile oils that occur naturally in the mustard seeds are still kickin.’ ” This confirmed the information I obtained from Wikipedia, but enlightened me to the concept of cooked versus uncooked mustards. Aging is another issue Kelly brought to my attention. “Other mustard makers age their mustards, going for a more mellow flavor.” It had never occurred to me that mustards could age like wine.
I had so many more questions. Like “which mustard seeds do you use?” I discovered in a further google search that there is white, black and brown mustard seeds. Which one is which? I’d still like to have a more clear understanding of the difference between whole grain versus ground. Maybe I just need to eat more mustard here and there. I did after all grow up with a ketchup bottle in one hand and a Coca Cola bottle in the other. My mind was spinning a web of mustard mania. But, Kelly had to deal with getting labels worked out for her brand new product Lusty Monk Honey Mustard (coming soon!) and my computer was blowing up from all of the overdue book keeping that had to be done. I simply cannot become a mustard geek right now. But, dare I say it: I’m off to a good start! Please stop into The Mercantile sometime and let’s taste Kelly’s amazing products and maybe compare them to others in a hard core taste test. It’ll give us all the chance to find out if we are really cutting the mustard at The Mercantile!
-Janea
So, while I ran around going absolutely out of my mind, my mustard collection was growing with or without me. So were the requests for mustard! Someone called my shop looking for a particular type of mustard. I cheerily answered the phone, and as the other end of the line began asking questions, I tromped around my shop pulling mustard off the shelves and reading the label to him. Apparently, this displayed my lack of mustard genius. I’m sure the person calling me out on my lack of mustard acumen had no intention of making an expert out of me when he dribbled out his internet ink. But, here goes.
I googled “mustard.” Came up with 18,800,000 hits. The top two hits were Wikipedia posts. The first dealing with the mustard plant itself and the second giving in depth attention to mustard, the condiment. Can you guess what the number 3 hit was? Think. Think hot dogs. Think of your childhood and those battles you had across the table with your little brother. He had the red bottle, you had the yellow one and the food fight was on! French’s mustard.
Of course, I went to their website first. This icon of the American hotdog and other picnic table extravaganzas should be able to tell me all about mustard right? Yeah, well, no. It’s all about the marketing. The entire website is dedicated to exclaiming what mustard is not! Mustard is not unhealthy. Mustard is not as fatty as mayonnaise or as sugar laden as ketchup. There’s even a calorie counter on their website. I had no idea mustard had been in heated competition with ketchup and mayonnaise. I thought of them as friends, colleagues, blood relatives even. I am sadly mistaken.
I moved on to hit number three. The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and Mustard Store. There’s a museum dedicated exclusively to mustards in Mt. Horeb Wisconsin. Who knew? They house over five thousand mustards and offer close to eight hundred different mustards for sale to what I am sure is thousands of visitors a year! I learned all sorts of stuff. Did you know there is a National Mustard Day? Mark your calendars for August 2. Also, there’s an annual writing contest dedicated to this amazing condiment. The submission deadline has sadly passed. The Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum was founded by a gentleman named Barry Levenson who decided to start a mustard collection back in 1986 when the Red Sox lost the 7th game of the World Series. (I don’t get the connection either. Maybe it’s a hotdog thing.) Alas, not one bit of information on this website about mustard history, it’s ingredients, how it is made or flavor profiles. Nothing! Nada! Zilch!
Back to Google, I went. I gave in and surfed my way over to Wikipedia. None of us have a lot of time these days,least of all me, so I’m just going to get down to it. Here are a few things I learned. Sit up straight and take notes. There will be a quiz later!
-Mustard was invented by the Romans.
-It’s name is derived from the term “must” which is unfermented grape juice. Must was blended with mustard seeds to create the earliest form of mustard.
-The heat of mustard is determined by the type of seed used and the preparation method. If the mustard seeds come into contact with heat, it breaks down the oils in the seeds and reduces their potency thereby mellowing the mustard.
-Dijon mustard is not covered by any geographical protection or designation. In other words, the term “Dijon Mustard” is not protected like French wines or Italian tomatoes or olive oils. Dijon mustard’s primary distinction is that it contains verjus, or acidic grape juice instead of vinegar.
-Whole grain mustard, of course, mean the seeds are not ground. But, my primary question would be ‘what is the fundamental difference in eating or cooking with whole grain versus ground?’ The Wiki people did not address this.
-There’s something called an Irish Mustard which is a blend of whole grain mustard, honey and Irish Whiskey. I’m determined to find this for The Mercantile. I’ll let you know if I do.
-Prepared mustard in Europe is often sold in squeezable metal tubes. (Sounds like a good practical joke to play on a morning tooth brusher!)
From what I understand Wikipedia is rather “unofficial” and I don’t take it as gospel. How do I know the person posting on Wikipedia is a mustard expert? So, I decided to implore someone I consider to be an expert. I reached out to the maker of our top selling mustard, Kelly Davis, founder and maker of Lusty Monk Mustards.
“I would never claim to know all about mustards, Janea, so I’m not sure I’m the authority on all that. I know MY mustards.” Already, I liked this response, because I could tell I was getting information not only from a point of humility, but also from a place of passion. Mustards are clearly a personal affair to this woman. “…I thought it was odd that an art form, mustard making, that had been so common in the home had just died out. In Victorian England they would frequently make mustard fresh daily, because they wanted the strong flavor.” If you’ve never had Lusty Monk Mustards, you have not truly tasted a strong flavored mustard. People stop into the shop all the time just to have their sinuses cleared with a sample.
She explained that most prepared mustards are cooked. “…in fact most of the mustards you get in the stores have been heat processed in some way.” She not only prefers whole grain mustards, but prefers to make Lusty Monk mustards uncooked… “and that’s why it has that pungent bite-the volatile oils that occur naturally in the mustard seeds are still kickin.’ ” This confirmed the information I obtained from Wikipedia, but enlightened me to the concept of cooked versus uncooked mustards. Aging is another issue Kelly brought to my attention. “Other mustard makers age their mustards, going for a more mellow flavor.” It had never occurred to me that mustards could age like wine.
I had so many more questions. Like “which mustard seeds do you use?” I discovered in a further google search that there is white, black and brown mustard seeds. Which one is which? I’d still like to have a more clear understanding of the difference between whole grain versus ground. Maybe I just need to eat more mustard here and there. I did after all grow up with a ketchup bottle in one hand and a Coca Cola bottle in the other. My mind was spinning a web of mustard mania. But, Kelly had to deal with getting labels worked out for her brand new product Lusty Monk Honey Mustard (coming soon!) and my computer was blowing up from all of the overdue book keeping that had to be done. I simply cannot become a mustard geek right now. But, dare I say it: I’m off to a good start! Please stop into The Mercantile sometime and let’s taste Kelly’s amazing products and maybe compare them to others in a hard core taste test. It’ll give us all the chance to find out if we are really cutting the mustard at The Mercantile!
-Janea
Recipes Lusty Monk Mustards
Mustard Glaze for Ham or Pork Loin Recipe courtesy of Stephen Brawley
1/4 c. maple syrup1 Tbsp. Lusty Monk Original Sin mustard1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Chicken Breast in Parchment PaperRecipe courtesy of Stephen Brawley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 Tbsp. Lusty Monk Original Sin mustard
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the middle rack.
2. Season the chicken, rubbing one Tbsp. of mustard on each breast. Prep the rest of the ingredients and toss everything except the chicken in a medium bowl. Season the mixture with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper about 20 inches long. Trace a circle with a dinner plate. Cut out circle. Fold it in half (like you're closing a book) then open it back up. Put 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the middle of the center fold. Put 1 chicken breast half on top of the vegetables.
4. Fold the paper over so that the two ends meet (closing a book again). Beginning at either end of the center fold, make overlapping diagonal folds so that you make a tight pocket around the food. The end result will be a half-crescent shape that looks sort of like a fried pie. You have now created a papillote.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the second papillote.
6. Place each papillote on a baking sheet in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. When done, the papillote will inflate and become aromatic. (The chicken should reach 160 degrees in its thickest part. The first couple of times you cook this way, you may want to take the temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the parchment paper. Although the closed pocket keeps the chicken moist, it's worth checking the temperature early and often during these first attempts so that you can see how long it usually takes for the chicken to cook through.)
7. Put each packet on a plate and cut the flat end open with scissors or a sharp knife. Slide the paper out from under the ingredients (like you're pulling a table cloth out from underneath a set table).
8. Add more salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.
Check the Lusty Monk Website for more great recipes
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