Episode Details

The food history nobody taught you: pharaohs buried it, a Pope staffed it, Napoleon obsessed over it, and your squeeze bottle is still lying about it.

A Pope loved mustard so much that he created a Vatican job, “The Great Mustard Maker,” just to make sure he never ran out. Napoleon loved it so much that he built Dijon's identity around it. And that bright yellow color you've trusted your entire life? That's the color that comes from an entirely different plant! Surprise?

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely spoon up everything mustard. From ancient Egyptian tombs to French royal courts, your own kitchen refrigerator, and more, there’s history and tradition brewed into that jar or squeeze bottle.

Believe it or not, it was the Romans who accidentally named it. And when one special ingredient creates a chemical reaction, that’s where the bite you know from every cookout and ballpark hot dog happens. Oh, and you think that’s all? Your favorite everyday condiment has been sneaking in health benefits onto your plate without you knowing, one spoonful or squirt at a time.

But this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories gets even more personal. One of Nancy’s friends, Sasha, shared how her grandmother from Odessa made a homemade mustard so incredible that her soldier husband traded jars of it during wartime because his buddies couldn't get enough. That recipe is still deeply guarded by the family today.

Nancy and Sylvia also go head-to-head in a blind mustard tasting and compare family-founded brands like #Plochman's, #Colman's, and Nancy’s personal obsession, #TerrapinRidgeFarms, whose #SmokyMapleBaconMustard is made by a woman-owned company in #Clearwater, #Florida. She’ll fight anyone in the grocery store aisle for the last jar on the shelf. That she’ll swear by!

Whether you're a #French's loyalist, a home cook making #mustard for the first time from scratch, or the keeper of a family recipe carefully under lock and key, you’ll want to grab your seat at the table for this next episode.

Every meal has a story. And every story is a feast. (TM)

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. A Pope gave mustard its own Vatican job title: Pope John XXII created the Grand Moutardier du Pape, which was a real position at the Vatican dedicated to making mustard. Your condiment opinions have papal backup.

2. Mustard has zero heat until you add this: The seed is mild. Crushing it and adding liquid triggers a chemical reaction that creates the bite. You've been eating kitchen chemistry your whole life and never knew it.

3. That yellow color is a lie, and it's secretly good for you: Turmeric is added purely for looks. It has nothing to do with the mustard plant. But it's anti-inflammatory, so your squeeze bottle has been sneaking health benefits past you this whole time.

4. A secret family recipe survived a war and is still guarded today: A grandmother from Odessa made a homemade mustard so good her soldier husband traded jars of it during wartime. Three days to make. Sworn to secrecy. Still in the family. Some families pass down jewelry. This one passes down mustard.

What’s your mustard story?

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