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The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed …

Holy Bible

As we reach for that little container of mustard to add to a favourite recipe or to spread on a hot dog, few of us remember this plant’s historic past. There are many references to mustard in the Holy Bible, but the parable “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof ” is the best known, as it is mentioned by three of the apostles in the Books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Mustard was well known and popular with the Greeks and Romans, not only as a flavouring and condiment for food but for its medicinal properties as well. Pliny the Elder, writing in Rome in the first century A. D., reported that:

mustard could be used to cure hysterical swooning females affected by either lethargy or epilepsy or any person affected by a deep seated pain in any part of their body.

The ancients obviously tried mustard as a remedy for many ills, for by the late Middle Ages we find it described in Herbarium, a collection of natural remedies compiled by Franco Moria Ricci in 1980 from medieval manuscripts, as “a sure cure for gout of the big toe” (podagra), but it also warns that mustard affects the brain and should always be taken with almonds to avoid this side effect.

John Evelyn, a seventeenth-century Englishman, was an enthusiastic supporter of mustard as a medicine, stating,“it is of incomparable effect to quicken and revive the Spirits, strengthening the Memory, expelling heaviness, and preventing the Vertigenous Palsie.” In his treatise on Sallets (salads) he insisted that it was so “necessary an ingredient to all cold and raw Salleting that it is very rarely if at all to be left out.”

Settlers coming to North America from Great Britain and Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries brought the knowledge and skill of transforming mustard seeds into a powder that could be used to great advantage in both the kitchen and the sick room. Doctors and anxious families alike used mustard plasters to treat colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, coughing, troublesome breathing, and indeed any problem with the lungs.These plasters were a simple mixture of powdered mustard and flour mixed with water and placed between pieces of soft cloth. Sometimes the plaster was applied directly to the affected area, but more often goose grease or olive oil was rubbed on first to prevent irritating the skin. As the plaster cooled and hardened it was removed and more oil or grease applied, along with, of course, more plasters, until the patient showed signs of recovery. A hot mustard foot bath was also recommended by doctors for earache, toothache, and sinus infections.

The wonder drugs of the twentieth century have replaced the miracles of the mustard mixtures, but they live on in the memories of many Canadians who have stories to tell about the lives that were saved with these simple remedies.

The word mustard evidently comes from the French mostarde or moustard (a combination of must, a fermentation of fruit juice, and mustard seeds).Three main varieties of the plant have developed — black and white, which originated in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean and which have now spread to almost all the temperate regions of the world, and brown, or Indian, mustard, which originated in Africa.Wild mustard, or charlock, has been a troublesome weed in many parts of the world for decades, but its seeds are said to have yielded the first Durham mustard made by Mrs. Clements of Durham, England in 1729. In Britain its seeds are sometimes still mixed with those of cultivated plants to procure the desired blend. All the varieties are similar in appearance, growing from eighteen inches to four feet high, depending on the environment, and bearing tiny, spherical, hard seeds in long pods.

The many different types of prepared mustard now available on our grocers’ shelves are based on a combination of the three main varieties blended with other flavourings such as wine, vinegar, spices, peppercorns, chilies, and other herbs such as tarragon and garlic. Some of the best known are:

American Mustard — a combination of white mustard seeds, white wine, sugar, and vinegar that produces a pale yellow, sweet, and mild mustard that is a great favourite on hot dogs and hamburgers.

Bordeaux Mustard — a blend of black mustard seeds, unfermented claret, and herbs that is popular with cold meats and grilled steaks.

Dijon Mustard — originated in the Burgundy area; blended from black seeds, salt, spices, and white wine, resulting in a pale yellow-grey mustard with a subtle flavour that is popular in sauces and vinaigrette dressings.

German Mustard — made from strong black mustard seeds, flour, and vinegar, it complements cold cuts and sausages.

Meaux Mustard — has an unusual crunchy texture and a hot flavour produced by a mixture of ground black seeds, spices, and vinegar, making it an excellent companion for ham and cold cuts and a welcome addition to sauces, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes.

For our ancestors mustard was a very necessary ingredient in the pickles section of their cookery books.There were many variations of mustard sauces to preserve cucumbers, onions, and other garden vegetables for the long winter months.This recipe, taken from The New Galt Cook Book by Margaret Taylor and Frances McNaught, 1898, was typical:

Mustard Pickles: One peck cucumbers, one peck onions, six heads cauliflower, one and half gallons cider vinegar, two pounds mustard, three cups brown sugar, ten cents of tumeric. Sprinkle cucumbers, onions and cauliflower each separately with salt, put on water and let lie over night.Add the other things with a little cold vinegar, heat remainder of vinegar to boiling heat, pour over hard pickles three times, then put in all ingredients, let simmer and pour over the pickles.

Today, with our convenience foods, we can give a lift to a well-known recipe. For example, mustard butter can be made by simply adding 1 teaspoon of prepared mustard to 1/2 cup of soft butter for use on sandwiches, vegetables, fish, or meat. Mustard mayonnaise can be made by mixing 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard into a cup of mayonnaise, and an ordinary cream sauce can be transformed by having 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard added to each cup to be used on fish, seafood, meats, and vegetables. An excellent glaze for ham can be quickly prepared by combining 4 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of liquid honey, and 1 teaspoon of mustard, applied to the ham about 40 minutes before it is finished baking.

In addition to being a quick additive to recipes, mustard is an important ingredient in many others. This is a simple one to brighten a dull day:

Baked Beans

1 pound beans soaked overnight in water

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

4 large onions, quartered

1/2 pound salt pork, cut into small cubes

Drain the beans and rinse. Cover with hot water and add baking soda. Parboil for about 20 minutes (the beans will wrinkle). Rinse with hot water. Prepare a bean pot or casserole for the oven by rubbing the sides with butter. Place some of the salt pork and two of the onions in the bottom, pour in the beans and bury the rest of the onions in them, and put the rest of the pork on top. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cover. Bake 6 to 8 hours at 250ºF. About halfway through the baking stage add enough boiling water to cover the beans. Keep the lid on the bean pot or the casserole until the last 30 to 40 minutes, when it should be removed so that the beans will brown. Serves about 8 hungry guests.

In Biblical times, mustard was likened to the kingdom of heaven; in modern times it is recognized as the ingredient that brings out the best in all the rest. So experiment, add a little mustard to your favourite recipe, and be prepared for some compliments.