Mustard Is Named After Burning Grape Juice
Mustard is a hot condiment made from ground seeds. The name comes from the unfermented grape juice the paste was first mixed with.
Mustard is made by grinding the seeds of the mustard plant and mixing them with liquid. The name is a recipe: Latin *mustum ardens*, burning must — *must* being freshly pressed grape juice, which is what the seed paste was originally mixed with in France. Cold water makes English mustard fierce; vinegar tames it, which is why American mustard is mild.
- A hot condiment from ground seeds. *A spoonful of mustard.*
- The plant it comes from. *Fields of mustard in flower.*
- Cut the mustard — meet the required standard. *He could not cut the mustard.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mustard | English mustard. |
| Adjective | mustard | A mustard jumper. |
| Compound | mustard seed | A grain of mustard seed. |
| Related | must | Grape must. |
| Related | condiment | Table condiments. |
How it is used in a sentence
- English mustard is much hotter than American.Different seeds and different liquids.
- The field was bright with mustard.Grown as a crop and a green manure.
- He simply could not cut the mustard.An American phrase from around 1900.
Mustards by style
- English — hot, from brown and white seeds, mixed with water
- Dijon — sharp and smooth, made with white wine or verjuice
- Wholegrain — seeds left visible
- American yellow — mild, coloured with turmeric
- Chinese — very hot, served with dim sum
From Old French *moustarde*, from *moust*, must, from Latin *mustum*, new wine. The heat comes from a chemical reaction that begins only when the ground seed meets liquid.
Why does mustard lose its heat?
The pungent compounds form when the crushed seed meets water and then break down within an hour or so. That is why English mustard is mixed fresh.
Where does *cut the mustard* come from?
An American expression recorded around 1900. The likeliest explanation is that mustard once meant the best or the genuine article.