Whole-grain Mustard

The ancient Chinese believed that mustard seeds carried aphrodisiacal properties, while the Danish and the Indians dispersed the seeds at the boundaries of their houses to prevent the entry of evil spirits. Also, in ancient times, German brides used to sew mustard seeds onto their wedding dresses believing that this would help them dominate the new family.

Mustard is one of the common and favorite spices all over the world. You might be surprised to know that there exist billions of mustard plant types and hundreds of brands in the market that sell condiments made from mustard seeds.

Mostly, white and brown mustard seeds are used in mustard products. Black seeds are now rarely used; because the plants grow too tall and it then becomes difficult to collect seeds mechanically.

When the whole mustard seeds or partially ground mustard seeds are mixed with seasonings like honey, turmeric, garlic, and brown sugar, the product is called whole-grain mustard. It is also known as grainy mustard or coarse mustard or granary mustard

• Food and Wine Magazine
• Edmond Fallot (established way back in 1840)
• Edinburgh
• Lakeshore
• Maille
• French Old Fashioned Mustard

• Tracklement
• Cochon's Abita Beer
• Whittingtons
• Woeber's Reserve
• Laurent Du Clos
• Beaufort
• Biona Organic

These are some of the popular grainy mustard brands. Color, flavor, and texture of whole-grain mustard may vary according to the brand.

Mustard is an invariable part of Asian cuisines. To make whole mustard, you just need to steep mustard seeds in a mixture of alcohol and vinegar for a few days. You may add salt, pepper, or different types of herbs, after processing the mixture in a blender. Whole mustard can be entirely grainy or partially grainy. It is served alongside meats or can be added to sauces and marinades, as it offers great texture and flavor.

Coarse mustard sauce provides a zesty base for a sauce for chicken, pork, salmon, or beef. Here is an easy recipe:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• Whipping cream (thick cream): 1 cup
• Coarse mustard: ¼ cup
• Chicken broth (low in sodium): 3 tablespoons
• Fresh tarragon, chopped: 2 tablespoons
• Kosher salt: ¼ teaspoon
• Black pepper: ¼ teaspoon

• Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan.
• Mix them well. Whisk together.
• Put the pan over medium heat. Keep on stirring.
• Simmer and let it cook until the sauce becomes slightly thick. It will take about 3 minutes.
• The sauce is ready. You may pour it over cooked meat.

The sauce goes well with white meat like turkey, chicken, rabbit, and pork and suits well for shrimp too. This sauce is rich in calories, moreover, it is high in sodium. Excessive consumption of whole-grain mustard sauce should be avoided.

Substitute for Grainy Mustard

Brown, white, black, and yellow are the commonly available types of grainy or coarse mustard.

• Stone ground mustard or prepared mustard can substitute granary mustard. That might change the flavor, but if you add a little celery seeds, no one will be able to notice the difference in the taste.

• You may use Dijon mustard in place of coarse mustard, but you are supposed to adjust the quantity. You won't perhaps get the exact flavor or taste. Every type of mustard has its own flavor and taste.

• Powder obtained by grinding mustard seeds is called dry mustard.
• When water, wine, beer, must, or vinegar is added to dry mustard as seasonings, the condiment is called prepared mustard.

• In a mustard recipe, different blends of mustard seeds like sun-dried tomato mustard or chili mustard may be used to achieve different flavors and strengths.

• As you know, honey mustard is the most favorite blend of mustard used for topping sandwiches, hot dogs, and sausages. It is also used in sauces and for dipping. It adds flavor to savory baked goods, casseroles or stews. By adding vinegar or olive oil, you can use it for salad dressing.

• Irish mustard is another popular blend of whole mustard with honey and/or Irish whiskey.
• Sweet mustard, fruit mustard, herb mustard, hot mustard are some popular types of mustard available in the market.

Mustard is cultivated mainly in the Northern hemisphere. Mustard was used even by Stone Age settlements. Canada, Hungary, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the leading producers of mustard. Mustard is the second most-used spice in the U.S., after peppercorns.

Actually, mustard seeds are not 'spicy' until they are mixed with wine or vinegar. The longer the seeds are soaked, the hotter the mustard would be. You may try various combinations of liquids, fruits, herbs, and spices and enjoy different tastes of homemade mustard.