The Capital of Burgundy is Dijon.
And although this might have the old Dukes turning in their grave, these days Dijon is probably better known for Dijon Mustard than their fabulous Ducal Palace.
Mustard and humans go back millennia,
with evidence of early usage in China, India, Syria and the Roman Empire. Mustard is part of the brassica family, and the basic principle is a fine seed, ground to release the heat associated with mustard – this is a defence mechanism to be unpleasant to eat. How hot depends on the variety of mustard, yellow is slightly milder than black or brown mustard seeds. Once the seeds have been ground to release the oil, the heat develops, maximising after about 15 minutes. This heat can be stabilised by the addition of water or acid. Mixing with water helps to retain heat, and heat will also reduce the hotness. All mustards served from jars have some sort of acid, vinegar or wine added to stabilise the mustard. You’ll often see English mustard sold as a powder, so that it can be mixed to order and consumed as a hot mustard, typically with cold water for maximum heat.
Although Burgundy was a major source of mustard seeds, the major source of mustard used in ‘Dijon Mustard’ today comes from Canada.
The next step with the milled mustard seed is to mix it with … something. Traditionally vinegar, or white wine, a little water, and a variety of spices. But to paraphrase Rod Stewart, what made Dijon famous was an idea from Jean Naigeon to use ‘verjus’, wine must made from green grapes – unripe grapes. Less acidic than vinegar, milder, and with a flavour that works well with mustard seeds, this innovation turned mustard production on its head, and it was this that made Burgundy, and specifically Dijon, the centre of worldwide mustard production.
Food technology has become better at achieving the same effect as verjus, so most Dijon mustards will contain white wine or vinegar. Manufacturers can manage the heat in their mustard by varying the amount of water / acid / white wine.
Most commonly, we see 4 types of mustard, in descending order of heat:
1. English mustard, in powder form. Using a mix of black / brown mustard, and milder yellow mustard. The heat is retained by omitting vinegar, but in its bottled version it is stabilised with acid, and will be less hot, but mixed with water and consumed fresh, this is the hottest mustard.
2. Dijon / Burgundy mustard. Using black and / or brown mustard seeds, stabilised by verjus / vinegar so the heat is tempered, and somewhat retained.
3. Wholegrain Dijon mustard – exactly the same deal, but where the seeds are only lightly milled to retain an identifiable ‘seedy’ look.
4. American mustard. Uses exclusively yellow mustard seeds, and the food colouring turmeric, for a distinctively yellow colour. The heat is tempered by the addition of both vinegar and water.
When Burgundy producers tried to protect their traditional mustard with a geographic designation, they were stymied. ‘Dijon mustard’ was so widely available, all over the world, it was deemed to be too established. Not to be dismayed, Burgundy producers persisted, and the protected designation is now ‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’, using black and brown mustard seeds and verjus.
The Moutarderie Fallot are pretty serious about their mustard. If you’re interested, follow these links to find out more:
