A HARTE APPETITE: LOWLY MUSTARD SEED DESERVES ACCOLADES

In his monumental work, Ulysses, James Joyce suggested that God made food and the Devil made seasoning. But even the Bible speaks admiringly of mustard seed, the basis for one of the world's most popular condiments. "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed," Matthew tell us, "which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs. ..."

The mustard plant is fully deserving of such an accolade. For centuries it has been used as a food, flavoring and folk remedy. In fact, it was so important as a medicinal herb to the ancient Greeks that they credited their god of medicine, Aesculapius, for its creation. Over the years the plant and its seeds have been prescribed for ailments ranging from snakebites to sinus congestion. Mustard baths and mustard poultices (I wonder if they are available at the Mayo Clinic) have been popular treatments for rheumatism, arthritis and fatigue in general (a British advertising campaign early in this century featured the slogan, "After the Dance, a Mustard Bath") and mustard oil has been tried as a cure for baldness.

Even today, the uses for mustard go far beyond the culinary. Colman's, for example, claims its dry mustard can be used, among other ways, like plaster to fix loose tiles, as a fertilizer to intensify the color of daffodils, as a stimulant to egg production in chickens and as a temporary patch for a leaky car radiator.

But it is in the kitchen where mustard works the most miracles. Though when it comes to cooking we may think first of mustard seed (there are three types: yellow or white, black, and brown), there is hardly any part of the plant that cannot be used for culinary purposes. As award-winning caterer Michele Anna Jordan points out in The Good Cook's Book of Mustard, the plant has three principal functions: it can be a condiment, a flavoring agent or a vegetable. No wonder, then, that according to Katy Holder and Jane Newdick in their encomium to the subject, A Dash of Mustard, this versatile ingredient was relied upon in the 19th century kitchen as much as staples like flour and eggs. And though in earlier times it was used merely as a less expensive way to spice up food than costly black pepper, as they point out, mustard plays a more complex role than most other spices, often serving as a crucial part of a recipe rather than a mere afterthought. Thus, mustard is frequently used in cheese sauces not just because it is a complementary flavor but because it also acts as an emulsifier to prevent the fat from separating out of the cheese as it cooks.

It is not surprising, therefore, that nearly every country seems to have its own speciality mustard nor that the ballpark variety favored in the United States, once described by the legendary food writer M.F.K. Fisher as tasting "bright yellow," is not universally regarded as the definitive version.

In France, which still produces half of the world's mustard, there is, of course, the famous variety from the city of Dijon, which has been made there since the 14th century. True Dijon mustard is made with only black or brown seeds and, just like French vintners, its makers have been granted an "appelation controlee" allowing them exclusive rights to the name. Other French mustards include Bordeaux, Meaux (originally made by the monks there), Florida mustard (which is made with champagne), and Beaujolais mustard. The French enjoy mustard in a wide range of dishes, including classics such as French dressing and rabbit with mustard sauce. (Ironically enough, French's mustard is a mild American mustard developed in 1904 by Francis French, a New York mustard maker and, using exclusively white seeds, bearing little resemblance to real French mustard.)

In Britain the words mustard and Tewkesbury are no longer synonymous, as they were when Shakespeare, in Henry IV, part 1, had Falstaff describe Poins' wit as "thick as Tewkesbury mustard." Today Colman's, which has been in business for more than 175 years, is the name most people associate with the condiment. Usually sold in vividly yellow powdered form, Colman's mustard is made from both brown and white mustard seeds. Roast beef, the national dish of Britain, is traditionally served with mustard. Keen's, who started making mustard in the 18th century and continued until 1903 when they were bought out by Colman's, underscored the pairing in its advertising with the injunction: "Never eat the national dish without the national condiment."

In Germany there is Dusseldorf mustard, made from black seeds and coarse-grained Bavarian mustard, which is mild and sweet. It is estimated that the Germans make as many as 1,000 sausage specialties, none of which they would think of serving unaccompanied by mustard.

In China and Japan they like their mustard especially hot and a little goes a long way. Karashi, or Japanese mustard, is one of the essential seasonings of the dining table no less so than soy sauce, rice vinegar, and wasabi. The Chinese make wide use of the mustard plant itself, including its roots.

And in Italy the use of mustard takes on a unique dimension where it flavors syrups used to preserve fruit. This mostarda di frutta comes in several regional variations containing fruits such as apples, pears, apricots, cherries, figs, plums, and quinces and may also include pumpkins, walnuts and filberts.

The world's largest exporter of mustard seed, by the way, is Canada where in Saskatchewan, which accounts for three-fourths of the country's output, there are 300,000 to 400,000 acres devoted to the crop. When you consider that a single acre of mustard produces a ton of seed, enough for nearly 50,000 jars of mustard, it is easy to understand why Canada dominates the market for the plant.

Despite the wide variety of mustards enjoyed worldwide, the name for the condiment is similar in most European languages: mustard in English, moutarde in French, mostarda in Italian, and Mostrich in north German dialect. As Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat points out in her History of Food, this is probably because beginning in the Middle Ages grape "must" replaced vinegar as a primary ingredient of the condiment along with crushed mustard seeds. Some claim, however, that the French word derives from the motto of the Duke Philip the Bold, "Moult me Tarde," or "I ardently desire," which was adopted as a trademark by Dijon's mustard makers in the 14th century.

Whenever you ardently desire to perk up any dish, even dessert (a small amount of dry mustard added to chocolate sauce or gingerbread works wonders), consider mustard in all its forms. It's the key to success in the following recipes which, to use a phrase which entered the lexicon around the turn of the century, are delicious ways to "cut the mustard."

Flavored Mustards

Mustard comes in a seemingly endless variety of flavors and textures. The Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wis., has more than 3,000 brands on display. The following recipes from Holder and Newdick's A Dash of Mustard would fit right in. The first is for homemade mustard, a product that, for some reason, sounds harder to make than it really is. The other two are even easier, calling simply for doctoring prepared mustard.

Cherry Mustard

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds, finely ground

2 teaspoons mustard powder

2 tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar

10 cherries (fresh, canned or frozen), pitted and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

Directions:

Add enough water to moisten ground seeds and leave for 10 minutes. Place soaked seeds and remaining ingredients in food processor and blend thoroughly. Cover tightly and leave for at least two weeks in refrigerator before opening.

Sun Dried Tomato Mustard

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and pureed

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

Directions:

Combine ingredients and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Ginger and Coriander Mustard

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, very finely chopped

handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 clove garlic

Directions:

Combine ingredients and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Pork Chops with Mustard Crust

History is replete with famous mustard lovers, such as Louis XI of France who carried his own personal mustard pot, Pope Clement VI who ate mustard at every meal, and Charles VI of France who elevated the famous chef Taillevent from porter to master of his kitchen partly in recognition of his skill at creating a mustard sauce. This dish from Bon Appetit magazine would probably have been approved by any of them.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons prepared hot English mustard (such as Colman's)

2 cups fresh bread crumbs from French bread

4 center-cut pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick

Directions:

Mix butter, parsley, 2 tablespoons mustard. Stir in bread crumbs. Spread remaining mustard on both sides of pork chops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oiled roasting pan. Press 1/4 of bread crumb mixture on top of each pork chop. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Broil chops, crust side up, until golden brown and serve immediately.

Cauliflower and Scallions with Black Mustard Seeds

This beautiful dish with its contrasting colors is based on one in Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking, one of the best books of its type around. It is from the southwestern part of the country where mustard seeds are typically sizzled in oil.

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower

2 bunches scallions

4 tablespoons light vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Directions:

Separate cauliflower into small flowerets, wash and drain. Trim root ends of scallion and chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Heat three tablespoons of oil over high heat in skillet and carefully add mustard seeds. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until popping subsides. Add remaining ingredients and stir to distribute. Add 1/3-cup hot water, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until cauliflower is crispy tender (15 to 20 minutes). Uncover, increase heat to medium, and stir-fry to evaporate moisture and brown cauliflower. Stir in remaining tablespoon of oil. Serves 4-6.

Got a culinary question you'd like to ask or an idea you'd like to see treated in this column? Send your suggestions to A Harte Appetite, c/o The Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO., 63702-0699 or by e-mail to tharte@semovm.semo.edu.