The Yellow Commodity Hotter Than Gold
Mustard is the world’s fastest-growing condiment
By Charles Passy | MarketWatch – 8 hours ago- Getty Images/Thinkstock -
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Namely, as the “it” condiment embraced by the foodie crowd.
Consider
that gourmet brands are releasing mustards reflecting a broadening
range of styles and incorporating a seemingly endless array of flavors.
Among the varieties now on store shelves: Dusseldorf-style mustards
(“Move over Dijon,” declared one food writer last year), fruity mustards
(blueberry, anyone?) and the super-coarse Tin Mustard
(it’s got a texture reminiscent of caviar, say fans). And mainstream
manufacturers are getting in on the act, too. French’s, the best-selling
brand that’s long been known for its classic yellow variety, is
test-marketing Creamy and Light “white” mustard (“an alternative to
mayo,” a spokesperson explains). And Kraft Foods-owned Grey Poupon
has not only brought back its beloved “Pardon me, would you have any…?”
TV ads, it’s also mounted a social media campaign connecting quality
mustard with a kind of refined, jet-setting lifestyle.
It’s not
the kind of thing you could do with, say, good ol’ Heinz 57, Grey Poupon
promoters insist. “I think mustard is more universal than ketchup…It’s
more international,” says Sara Braun, a Kraft markeing director.
Put it all together and mustard equals money: The condiment
raked in U.S. sales of $508 million in 2012 – an 11% jump since 2007,
according to Mintel, a market researcher. True, mustard doesn’t quite
measure up to ketchup in this country (ketchup sales hit $743 million in
2012). But most food industry insiders and experts believe that mustard
is positioned to grow in popularity not only because it’s so global
(the condiment, which can be traced back to the Romans, is popular in
just about every culture and country, from Brazil to Great Britain), but
also because it’s naturally healthy. As a new French’s ad campaign
touts, “Farmers make our mustard zero calories, not scientists.”
Mustard
is also versatile: Sure, it’s the classic topping to the hot dog that’s
enjoyed at the ballpark or summer barbecue, but it can just as easily
be paired with items ranging from roast beef to soft pretzels or used as
a key ingredient in casseroles, dressings and other foodstuffs. Grey
Poupon even suggests a turkey gravy for the holidays incorporating its
mustard.
In short, it’s the condiment of the moment, says Alice Price Becker, the restaurateur behind the New York eatery Alison 18.
“Mustard
is the new butter, the new mayo,” says Becker. “We are finding our
guests asking for mustard for their bread and their fries.”
And
as Becker’s experience attests, the condiment’s popularity goes beyond
store shelves and home kitchens. Mustard is indeed finding its way into
higher-end dining establishments. At the Public House at The Venetian in
Las Vegas, executive chef Anthony Meidenbauer
crafts his own bacon-onion mustard as a complement to some of his
starters. At the Fairmount Chateau Whistler resort in Canada,
mixologists serve a house cocktail rimmed with crushed mustard seeds. And at the newly opened Avant at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Inn, chef Nicolaus Bour is offering a house-made mustard on tap (just like beer, except in smaller quantities).
Bour says his inspiration came from a mustard maker
in France who pioneered the tap idea. Right now, he’s serving his
mustard with charcuterie, but he envisions offering a take-out version
in refillable crocks. He says his patrons can hardly wait. “The mustard
is flowing,” Bour says of business at the restaurant.
If there were a place where that flow is a veritable mustard monsoon, it would have to be the National Mustard Museum,
situated in Middleton, Wisc. (just two-and-half-hours from Chicago or
“a mere 6,578 kilometers from Dijon, France,” as the museum touts on its
website). Here, curator Barry Levenson,
a former Wisconsin assistant attorney general, presides over a showcase
of more than 5,500 mustards from all 50 states and 70-plus counties.
That is, when he’s not sending mustard by mail through his museum online
store or planning the annual worldwide mustard competition (this year’s
contest attracted nearly 300 entries).
Oh, and don’t forget National Mustard Day
on Aug. 3. At the museum, that calls for a big party, highlighted by
mustard custard – yes, mustard in ice cream. Barry Levenson says it
tastes better than you might suspect. “People really line up for this,”
he adds.
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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/yellow-commodity-hotter-gold-142810435.html
I can't figure out whether this is just business hype for mustard or for real. One interesting anecdote is when I was in India in 1985and 1986 small plots of mustard (One house and yard size) were everywhere growing. The reason for this is that mustard oil is what everyone cooks with there. And since mustard oil is spicy and so is curry you will find it in almost everything like Lentils (called Dhal-bat) usually in India. So, if something is fried (at least in 1985 there) it was usually cooked in Mustard oil which is a very spicy taste in fried foods.
Coming from the U.S. on the west coast where acres of wild mustard grow untended often for miles in the spring and summer, seeing people growing and cultivating mustard so much in India was really an eye opener regarding the differences of life in India and the U.S.
Each culture has a very unique heritage separated by a very big Pacific Ocean. India, I found was one of the most culturally interesting places I have ever been. In 1985 and 1986 it was a lot like going to another planet, especially out in the country where people often hadn't seen white skinned people much if at all in person so they wanted to look at your eyes and feel the hair on your arms and to stare at you. Not staring at people in India is disrespectful in that culture, especially if you are a white person partly because of the English ruling India for so long before Gandhi became the leader of India.
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