All About Mustard

Mustard has been one of the most widely grown and used spices in the world for many centuries. It is believed to have originated in Ancient Egypt and exported to Europe by the Romans who used it for both food and medicine - as a cure for anything from hysteria to snakebite to bubonic plague. In these early times a popular drink was unfermented grape juice - and this was often seasoned with mustard seeds. The unfermented grape juice was called MUST. This is believed to be the origin of the word mustard.

Prepared mustard as we know it began in Dijon, France in the 13th century.

In the early 19th century Colmans of Norwich, England became the world's first mustard millers - milling the heart of the mustard seed to a fine powder, mustard flour - and they established mustard as an industrial food ingredient.

Dry milled mustard products are now essential ingredients in many formulations such as salad dressings, mayonnaise, tomato sauces, processed meats, seasoning blends, etc. and of course prepared mustard. They are used for their flavour contribution and in many cases for the unique functional properties of mustard.