What is mustard?
A: Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant.
How is it made?
A: The whole, ground, cracked, or bruised mustard seeds are mixed with
water, vinegar, lemon juice, wine, or other liquids, salt, and often other
flavorings and spices, to create a paste or sauce ranging in
color from
bright yellow to dark brown.
What does the seed itself taste like?
A: It has a strong, pungent, and somewhat bitter taste.
The taste of mustard condiments ranges from sweet to
what?
A: Spicy.
Mustard is commonly paired with what?
A: Meats, vegetables and
cheeses, especially as a condiment for sandwiches,
hamburgers, and hot dogs.
It is also used as an ingredient in many what?
A: Dressings, glazes, sauces, soups, and marinades.
Mustard has been used in Africa and China for how long?
A: Thousands of years.
Where have mustard greens been popularly consumed?
A: In China.
Yellow mustard paste originated in China during what
period?
A: The Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) where the mustard seeds were ground and
made into paste.
It was often used in the royal courts during the Zhou
Dynasty to do what?
A: To help whet the appetite for the later courses in a meal.
The Romans were probably the first to experiment with
what?
A: The preparation of mustard as a condiment.
They mixed unfermented grape juice (the must) with
ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make "burning must", mustum ardens—hence
what?
A: "must ard".
Dijon, France, became a recognized center for mustard
making by when?
A: The 13th century.
The popularity of mustard in Dijon is evidenced by
written accounts of guests consuming 320 liters (70 imp gal) of mustard
creme in a single sitting at a what?
A: A gala held by the Duke of Burgundy in 1336.
In 1877, what famous Dijon mustard maker was
established as a partnership between Maurice Grey, a mustard maker with a
unique recipe containing white wine; and Auguste Poupon, his financial
backer?
A: Grey-Poupon.
Their success was aided by the introduction of the
first what?
A: Automatic mustard-making machine.
The early use of mustard as a condiment in England is
attested from the year 1390 in what book?
A: The Forme of Cury which was written by King Richard II's master cooks.
Where was the use of mustard as a hot dog condiment
said to have been first seen in the US?
A: At the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when the bright-yellow French's
mustard was introduced by the R.T. French Company.
Mustard is most often used at the table as a condiment
on what?
A: Cold and hot meats.
It is also used as an ingredient in what?
A: Mayonnaise, vinaigrette, marinades, and barbecue sauce.
Mustard as an emulsifier can stabilize a mixture of two
or more immiscible liquids, such as what?
A: Oil and water.
Added to Hollandaise sauce, mustard can inhibit what?
A: Curdling.
Mustard can be added to dishes as a primary spice, as
is popular in what cuisine?
A: East Indian cuisine.