" Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will. "
- Matthew 17:20
It's not often that we launch the Hot Line with a bible verse. In fact, you can sum up the number of biblical references in this newsletter very succinctly with the word "zero". However, we're talking about mustard this month and, I was led to believe that The Bible and Mustard had a real 'connection'. In fact, I was told that they got along like hot dogs and ... uh, ketchup I guess.
Apparently, the word "mustard" is mentioned over 200 times in the King James version of the bible. What does this mean to us from a barbecue perspective? Well, as it turns out, it appears to mean very little. Maybe nothing. Just an interesting fact. And, in other interesting mustard news:
Some More Fun Facts About Mustard
- Many of us think of barbecue sauce as a tomato based concoction. In South Carolina barbecue sauce is primarily mustard based. Made of mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices. It's supposed to be sweet, tangy and delicious. (If you've tried it 'in the field' drop us a line and let us know what you think.) Down in South Carolina, where the sauce originates from, this stuff is a big deal. It’s an every-day condiment, a staple at dinnertime, a witness at weddings. Okay, we made that last one up, but with names like “Sticky Fingers,” “Slap Sauce,” “Awesome in a Jar,” “Mean Mustard,” and “Tickle My Ribs,” you know this stuff has got to be good.
- First off, a pretty decent portion of the world’s mustard is grown right here in Canada. The dude with the Grey Poupon limo came around much later on; and no, mustard did not originate in France. Canada produces 90% of the world's mustard seed. Saskatchewan itself produces the majority of that 90%! Between cornering the market on potash, mustard and gritty; two-way hockey players, I say - watch out for Saskatchewan.
- The bright yellow colour of typical, ball-park mustard is from turmeric.
- Long ago, the world's smartest people, The Danes, reportedly had an interesting "cure" for a woman's frigidity - a potion of mustard seeds, ginger and spearmint. Try it out and let us know what you think - we're always interested in feedback here at The Hot Line.
- The Beatles song "Mean Mr. Mustard" was written in India by John Lennon in the spring of 1968 when I'm sure he was as straight as an arrow. It was written in time to make the White Album but wasn't recorded in the studio until the Abbey Road sessions (shocking fact about the Abbey Road album here).
- Names for mustard in different languages:
- Mustard - English
- Moutarde - French
- Mostaza - Spanish
- Mosterd - Dutch
- Hardal -Turkish
- Senf - German
- Mustard adds a serious bit of tastiness to grilled goodies; a tangy, flavour-packed element that cannot be replaced by anything else. Do not screw with a good thing.