 Black mustard seeds. Photo by Meghan Anderson-Colangelo.
March 2006
Updated July 2007
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Mustard Glossary
Sweet or Spicy, Hot or Tangy, Bright Yellow or Dark Brown
Ask people to name a mustard and most will recall French’s, Gulden’s, the generic Dijon (named after Dijon) or Grey Poupon (originating in Dijon—read our History of Mustard). But many regions of France and other countries of the world have their own mustard styles. If you’d like to suggest additional words for inclusion, click here.
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a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
American Mustard or Ballpark Mustard or Yellow Mustard
Called yellow mustard due to its bright color, this mild-flavored mustard is used at ball parks as a favored condiment for hot dogs. It is made with white mustard seeds mixed with salt, spices and vinegar, with turmeric added to enhance the bright color. This style of mustard was first manufactured in 1904 by George T. French as “Cream Salad Mustard,” and remains the standard for yellow mustard.
Bahamian Mustard
A peppery, brown mustard.
Bavarian Mustard
A sweet mustard that contains very little acid, substituting copious amounts of sugar for preservation.
Beaujolais Mustard
Made with Beaujolais wine, lending a deep burgundy color.
Bordeaux Mustard
Made with Bordeaux grape must. Usually pale yellow in color.
Chinese Mustard
A very hot prepared mustard. The Chinese mustard served by North American Chinese restaurants can be approximated by Colman’s English Mustard.
Colman’s Mustard
The leading brand of English mustard founded by Jeremiah Colman, originally a flour miller.
Creole Mustard
Brown mustard seeds are marinated in vinegar, ground and mixed with a hint of horseradish into a hot, spicy mustard.
Deli Mustard
A brown mustard seasoned with garlic, dark brown sugar, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon. Flecks of spice dot the mustard.
Dijon Mustard
Historically, Dijon, in the province of Burgundy, France, had long been a gourmet center. The mustard they developed was based on particularly strong and piquant mustard seeds grown in their chalky soil and densely wooded terrain. The seeds were carefully selected, and harvested on those sites that were rich in potassium and carbon. Today’s Dijon is not the original product developed in monasteries: In 1856 Jean Naigeon, a local producer, revived the flagging industry by substituting verjus for vinegar and creating a smoother, less biting product. Today’s product is also made with brown mustard seeds instead of black, owing to the difficulty of growing the latter. While Dijon mustard was the first to be regulated, it is not covered by a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under the auspices of the European Union. Thus, while there are large mustard plants in Dijon and its environs, most Dijon mustard is Dijon-style, manufactured outside of Dijon.
Dijon-Style Mustard
A mustard made in the style of Dijon mustard, but not made in Dijon, France.
Düsseldorf Mustard
A spicy traditional German mustard, dark in color, made with brown mustard seeds. It is a hot and pungent version of Dijon-style mustard. It is usually served with sausages and cold meats.
English Mustard
A product made from a combination of white plus brown or black mustard seeds, flour and turmeric. It is usually bright yellow in color with an extremely hot spiciness. It is particularly enjoyed with beef and sausages.
Flavored Mustard
Mustards flavored by the addition of various individual herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits result in such mustards as horseradish, chili, lemon, raspberry and even blueberry flavored mustards. There are literally hundreds of different varieties.
German Mustard
A family of mustards ranging from mild to hot, spicy and mildly sweet. They can range from smooth to coarse-ground, and from pale yellow to brown in color. Germans enjoy mustard on their pretzels as well as on sausages and meats.
Grape Must
The young, unfermented juice of wine grapes, used, among other purposes, in the preparation of different varieties of mustard. The Latin name for mustard used in the Middle Ages, mustum ardens, meaning “burning wine,” refers to the spicy heat of the crushed mustard seeds and the French practice of mixing the ground seeds with must, the grape must.
Honey Mustard
A sweet mustard made by adding honey to a mustard base.
Japanese Mustard or Wasabi Mustard
A condiment served in most Japanese restaurants with sushi and sashimi, usually erroneously thought of as wasabi, or Japanese horseradish root. Japanese mustard is “faux” wasabi: a mixture of mustard, ordinary white horseradish root, cornstarch and food coloring created to approximate the much more costly Wasabia japonica. It is sold in powdered form and reconstituted in tubes, and can be used, as Western mustard, to flavor vinaigrettes, season meats, add to egg dishes, et al. Wasabi mashed potatoes are very popular in gourmet circles. Read more about the difference between real wasabi and fake wasabi.
| Meaux Mustard or Moutarde de Meaux or Whole-Grain Mustard
Often called the “king of mustards” and enjoyed by connoisseurs, this rich mustard with a slightly nutty flavor is made of roughly crushed, multi-colored mustard seeds mixed with vinegar and spices. The thick and rich mustard has been used by chefs for almost 400 years in salad dressings, as coatings for meat and fish. It is traditionally packed in stone crocks in the area of Pommery.
Medical Claims
Mustard has been used as an anti-inflammatory, an appetit stimulant, a digestive aid, a diuretic an emetic, and a laxative.
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Click here to purchase a crock of Moutarde
de Meaux, the “king of mustards.” |
Mustard à l’Ancienne (“Old-Style”)
This mustard is prepared from a base of mixed mustard seeds, verjus, spices and herbs, ground coarsely in order to leave the seeds intact. It is a very different type of mustard, grainy in texture, with a dark color and a slightly milder flavor.
Must
See grape must.
Mustard
A condiment made from the seeds of the mustard plant. All mustard is made in relatively the same way. The seeds are crushed; depending on type of mustard being  made the hull and bran are sifted out. The seeds then may or may not go through further grinding and crushing. The mustard seed itself is not spicy: When mixed with water or other cold liquid such as wine, vinegar, beer, a chemical reaction occurs between an enzyme and a glucoside from the seeds, resulting in the production of the oil, allyl isothiocyanate. To enhance the mustard, salt and spices are added (turmeric and cloves are often used). If it is a flavored mustard, other flavorings are added. In some cases the mustard is simmered to moderate the bite, then cooled. Some mustards are aged in large containers. The word mustard comes from the Middle English mustarde, meaning condiment; which in turn comes from the Old French mostarde. Mosto derives from the Latin mustum, which is the word for grape must, or unfermented wine. Mustard was originally made by mixing grape juice with ground mustard seed.
Mustard Oil
A pungent, aromatic, golden oil made from the crushed seed of the mustard plant. It is derived from pressing mustard seeds; the aromatic mustard oil is golden in color and hot and spicy. The flavor is similar to Chinese mustard. Once opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator for freshness. A little goes a long way: Mustard oil can be mixed with vegetable oils to deliver its spicy flavor. The oil also goes rancid quickly and should be refrigerated after opening.
Mustard Plant
There are more than forty different varieties of mustard plants, but three produce the seeds that are used to make the mustard condiment. Brassica juncea, which originated in  the Himalayans and has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years in India, is the basis for most mustards found in the U.S. and for the Chinese mustard used in the U.S. Sinapis alba, (alba means white) originated in the Mediterranean basin and has light tan seeds which produce the mildest mustard. These are used to make American or ballpark mustard. Brassica nigra, which originated in the Middle East and Asia Minor and is popular in those areas, has black seeds which produce the hottest mustard. All three varieties have become naturalized to North America: since mustard grows wild and weed-like in addition to being cultivated, all three can be found in nearly every state of the U.S. as well as many provinces if southern Canada. Dark and white varieties of seed cannot be substituted for each other in recipes as their flavors are distinctly different.
Myrosin
The chemical compound, along with sinigrin, that combines to create the heat in mustard, when the seeds are cracked and mixed with a cold liquid (water, vinegar, wine, beer or a combination). The chemical reaction produces mustard oil, which can actually cause burning when it comes into contact with the skin.
Powdered Mustard
A combination of brown and white mustard seeds ground into a powder, mixed with turmeric or saffron for added color and flavor. Flavored powdered mustards (chile, peppercorn, chive, mint) also can be found, or can be made by adding dried flavorings to plain powdered mustard. Powdered mustards have no aroma and little flavor until mixed with liquid, which engenders the chemical reaction that creates the mustard oil, which carries the flavor. When reconstituting, the mustard needs to stand for 15 minutes prior to use.
Prepared Mustard
A sharp-tasting, thick, yellow or brown paste made of ground mustard seeds with vinegar or wine as a acidic fixative, prepared mustard is then seasoned with salt and various spices, depending on the house blend. On top of this base, there are hundreds of varieties of flavored prepared mustards, incorporating other spices (peppercorn, ginger), herbs (tarragon, chive, garlic, parsley), fruits (raspberry), nuts (walnut, hazelnut), and other food products (horseradish, beets, roquefort). Prepared mustard generally has about one-third to one-half the strength of dry mustard.
Sinigrin
One of the two chemical compounds that creates the heat in mustard. See myrosin.
Sweet Mustard
A mustard sweetened with any traditional sweetener—honey, maple syrup sugar, or other product.
Verjus or Verjuice
An acidic, sour liquid made from green juice of unripe grapes or other fruit. Verjus is used in preparations like sauces and mustards, much as lemon juice or vinegar would be employed. It heightens flavor without the harsher edge of vinegar. It has been used since medieval times; although out of fashion for many years, it is enjoying a renaissance.
Wasabi Mustard
See Japanese mustard.
For the largest selection of mustards to purchase, visit the Mustard Museum’s online store. If you’re in the vicinity of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, you can visit the museum in person.
© Copyright 2005-2008 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are copyright of their respective owners.
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