These mustard seeds aren’t spicy until they are cracked and mixed with a liquid—generally wine or vinegar. Photo of mustard seeds by Magda Skale | SXC.
July 2009
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The History Of Mustard
Page 4: Mustard Trivia
This is Page 4 of a four-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Mustard Trivia
Have fun with these mustard facts:
Mustard Popularity
- More than 700 million pounds of mustard are consumed worldwide each year.
- Mustard is the second most-used spice in the U.S., following peppercorns.
- Pope John XXII was so fond of mustard that he created a new Vatican position—grand moutardier du pape (grand mustard-maker to the pope)—and promptly filled the post with his nephew.
- National Mustard Day is August 1st.
- In one year at New York’s Yankee Stadium more than 1,600 gallons plus 2,000,000 individual packets of mustard are consumed.
Mustard Uses
 All parts of the mustard plant are edible: the seeds (from which prepared mustard is made), the leaves and flowers. - Prepared mustard dates back thousands of years to the early Romans, who used to grind mustard seeds and mix them with wine into a paste very similar to modern mustard.
This photo, by Glenn Fidler of Seaside, CA, was a
winner in the 2007 Napa Valley Mustard Festival
competition.
Mustard Folklore
- The ancient Chinese considered mustard an aphrodisiac.
- German lore advises a bride to sew mustard seeds into the hem of her wedding dress to assure her dominance of the household.
- In Denmark and India, it is believed that spreading mustard seeds around the exterior of the home will keep out evil spirits.
Thanks to French’s Mustard for most of this trivia. Final piece of trivia: French’s was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair.
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