Unusual taste of Dijon mustard. A Complete Guide to Mustard, Its Health Benefits, and Culinary Uses

In France, there is a wonderful city of Dijon, and mustard, popular all over the world, comes from there. First of all, Dijon mustard differs from Russian mustard in its recipe. Our sauce has its own special style, it is spicy, very hot. With a cold, it will instantly clear your nose, this is not a sweetish French seasoning for you - ours warms even in cold winters.

History of appearance

In France, mustard has been used since 1292, during this period it is mentioned in the royal registers. Under the name "Dijon" mustard has become known since the 13th century. Simply put, the word "Dijon" comes from the name of the city of Dijon, where it began to be produced.

Gradually, partner societies for the production of this seasoning were created, machines for its production and original recipes appeared that used white wine. This production marked the beginning of an active invasion of Dijon mustard into the lives of people from different countries. And in 1937, the Dijon mustard brand was officially approved.

What is the difference between Dijon mustard and ordinary Russian mustard?

Let's take a closer look at the differences:

1. The French product is made from peeled black and sarepta mustard seeds. The seeds can be whole or crushed and are grown near Dijon in Burgundy. The juice of unripe grapes or young white wine is added to it. Some recipes use wine vinegar. The taste of the French product is delicate, with a sweet and sour taste. The composition may contain spices, such as tarragon, lavender or thyme;
2. Our mustard is most often made from powder, although at present you can buy a product from the grains of Sarepta mustard, which is grown near Volgograd. Seasoning powder is not obtained by grinding the grains, but is made from the pomace that remains after the oil is squeezed out of the grains. Do you feel the difference? Grain French Sauce has native mustard oil, and vegetable oils are added to our Powdered Seasoning. But only mustard oil can soften the sharpness and sharpness, and ordinary sunflower oil cannot, so we cry from our sauce;
3. So, the taste of the French product is more gentle, it is moderately spicy, not sharp at all, a little sweet. Our product is hotter, much "meaner";
4. French sauce has a wonderful soft texture with a viscous texture, most often found in grains, while ours is usually prepared as a smooth sauce. The shade of the Dijon can be from pale yellow to bright yellow;
5. The French have no single way of cooking. Natural wine vinegar, white or red Burgundy wine, as well as herbs and spices can be added to the sauce. There was a time when sour grape juice verjuice (verjuice) was added instead of wine vinegar, which was also quite suitable. Our recipe is much simpler, in addition to the mustard itself, you will need water, salt, some spices and vinegar.

Application in cooking

Dijon mustard is delicious and healthy. It promotes good digestion and has an antioxidant effect. Therefore, it goes well with any meat, and especially with kebabs or barbecue cooked on the grill. It will perfectly complement boiled pork, pork chop, if, before putting a piece in a pan, grease it on all sides with this seasoning. The meat will be juicier and softer.

You can do it differently: cut the meat into slices (4 cm thick), make cuts in each. Grate the pieces with spices and Dijon mustard. Thanks to the transverse cuts, the meat is well soaked. Then fry it in a hot oil pan.

The B vitamins contained in grains are important for proper carbohydrate metabolism, so the French product with grains also has very beneficial properties. Even grain mustard shows itself perfectly in fatty meat dishes. Burning grains will help you better digest fatty foods, because it is not recommended to refuse meat products and rich cabbage soup, especially in winter.

It is absolutely indispensable in many sauces and salad dressings. After all, someone loves sweetness, and someone - bitterness. This sauce will bring everyone together. As for homemade mayonnaise, it is better to add non-grained French mustard to it, then it will suit literally everything from fish to salads.

You can dream up with additives: make mayonnaise with tarragon and grained mustard for fish, add garlic and thyme to meat. The sauce enhances the taste of bitter and harsh vegetables such as daikon radish or celery.

It will add a piquant flavor to fish and seafood cooked with French sauce. For example, a popular Belgian dish is mussels in mustard sauce, in which, in addition to the main ingredients, a product from Dijon is added.

Recipe for cooking at home

The recipe for making French sauce only seems complicated, but in fact it is based on mustard seeds, which today can be bought without any problems.

You will need:

• dark and light mustard seeds - a mixture of 100 g;
• warm water - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• white wine - 50 ml;
• balsamic - 50 ml;
• olive oil - 60 g;
• natural honey - 40 g;
• sea ​​salt - 8 g;
• pepper mixture - 2 pinches.

Total cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes

How to do:

Substitute for french sauce

However, finding a replacement for a French product is not at all difficult. In salads, sour cream dressing with ordinary mustard “works” perfectly with all components. True, the taste turns out to be unusual, with a slight spiciness, but if you season a fresh cabbage salad with such a dressing, the vegetable will become much more tender.

If you really want something, you should definitely cook it. Therefore, do not be afraid to experiment, there is no Dijon mustard - add the usual dining room to the dish, but with the taste of horseradish.

The second number is the Cossack version of mustard, cucumber pickle was added to this sauce instead of traditional vinegar. Spicy, sour, sweet notes - it has everything to give the dish a special taste.

And finally, our brown Sarepta mustard, which is grown near Volgograd. It tastes a little different from Dijon. It can be used as a seasoning for any products, especially meats, in pickles and sauces, added to salad dressings.

Not a single Russian holiday, not a single feast is complete without such a famous seasoning as mustard. There is probably no such person who would not know what mustard is and would not taste it. Mustard or Dijon mustard is a special sauce. They have a yellowish color, from light yellow to greenish, sometimes brownish. This delicious sauce is suitable for many dishes, making the taste of dishes brighter, richer and more appetizing.

What is Dijon mustard and what is its history?

Mustard is produced by grinding the seeds, and in some cases, keeping whole, a special plant from the cabbage family. The most popular types of mustard in cooking can be considered black, white and brown. This plant grows almost everywhere, except for the extreme north, as well as a very hot climate. If the grains of the plant are ground and tasted, it will be burning and bitter.

This versatile spice amazes gourmets not only with its taste properties, but also with medicinal properties.

Essential oils, special enzymes, trace elements, proteins, and vitamins determine the pharmacological properties of this wonderful plant. The substances contained in this product can be used in medicine for the treatment and prevention of many common diseases. The unique healing properties of this plant were known in ancient Rome and Greece, where they were described in their writings by Avicenna and Hippocrates.

A Dijon chef in 1747 came up with the idea to prepare this sauce with the addition of anchovies, the sour juice of unripe grapes called virjus, and capers to its composition. Since then, chefs have come up with about 20 more variations of preparing such a delicious sauce as Dijon mustard, adding garlic, various types of peppers, seaweed, as well as tarragon and other spices to it. So what is Dijon mustard? This, in simple terms, is a variety of variations on the preparation of ordinary mustard using all kinds of ingredients.

What is the difference between regular mustard and Dijon mustard?

The main difference from the Russian version is that, as a rule, it is prepared from special seeds, or rather, from a black variety of mustard. The grains undergo a very thorough cleaning of the dark-colored husk and become a beautiful golden hue. This type of mustard is prepared from whole seeds, without grinding them at all.

Some French chefs also add ground grains, adding exquisite herbs and spices, in order to give the sauce a great aroma and delicate taste.

To make mustard extra soft, it is customary to add white wine made from grapes instead of vinegar. If you do everything right, then gentle and soft Dijon mustard will be loved by those gourmets who do not like spicy food.

The Russian type of cooking will allow you to taste a spicy, hot sauce made from white mustard using mustard powder. And the Dijon version will give you the opportunity to enjoy the delicate, spicy taste of soft, whole grain mustard.

Dijon mustard recipe at home

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons black or brown mustard seeds
• 20 ml dry wine, white, from grapes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 onion
• 120 g natural honey
• vegetable oil, a tablespoon will be enough
• salt, a teaspoon is enough
• half a teaspoon of hot Tabasco sauce

Cooking steps:

1. Garlic needs to be crushed with a special press, and the onion is very finely chopped.
2. Mustard seeds need to be well dehulled, and if you wish, you can grind or even turn into powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
3. Wine is poured into the pan, onion and garlic are added there. Wine is required here in order to bring down the excessive sharpness. This mixture should be boiled over low heat for about 6 or 7 minutes.
4. Later, the pan must be removed from the stove and the mixture allowed to cool.
5. The broth must be filtered so that there are no small particles left from onions and garlic.
6. Ground seeds of the plant or their whole version are added to the strained broth, and all this is whipped with a blender or with a whisk.
7. It is necessary to add vegetable oil, salt to the whipped mixture, pour everything into the pan and put it on fire again. You need to cook until a thick, creamy consistency is formed. After that, honey and hot, spicy sauce are added to the pan. It is necessary to cook mustard for about three more minutes, and then remove from heat.

As a result, the sauce should turn out thick, like sour cream. The cooled sauce must be put in a glass jar and closed tightly with a lid. Let stand in the refrigerator for about three days.

Dijon mustard considered a classic French product, which was named after the city of Dijon. The product has a creamy taste and is therefore much sweeter than other types of mustard.

Dijon mustard was first tasted by King Philip VI in 1336. That's just the popularity came to her only in the eighteenth century.

Due to the special way the product is made, Dijon mustard has a grainy texture (see photo). However, on the shelves of stores you can also find another type of product that has a uniform structure due to the grinding of mustard seeds.

Also, in the process of preparing mustard, some cooks use various spices. (cloves, cardamom, allspice and cinnamon).

Compound

The composition of real Dijon mustard includes the following ingredients:

• white wine;
• mustard seeds that have a brown tint.

Sometimes white wine can be replaced with a mixture of salt, wine vinegar and water.

The product is moderately high-calorie, but you should not abuse it, so as not to aggravate the state of health.

Benefit and harm

The benefits of Dijon mustard largely depend on the vitamins and minerals it contains. It is used for:

• replenishment of the amount of trace elements necessary for the body;
• treatment of asthma and arthritis;
• normalization of the work of the heart;
• lowering the level of sugar in the blood;
• reducing the risk of developing cancer;
• stabilization of the central nervous system, raising mood, getting rid of stress;
• strengthening the immune system.

There are practically no special contraindications to the use of mustard. However, if you eat the product in very large quantities, you can provoke irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and even cause internal bleeding.

How is it different from regular and French mustard?

Dijon mustard differs from ordinary mustard not only in taste, but also in the composition of the ingredients. On the other hand, many people ask themselves the question: "Dijon mustard and French mustard - is it the same mustard or not?" Experts unequivocally state that Dijon mustard is a type of French mustard.

As for the differences between French mustard and ordinary mustard, they are as follows. For the manufacture of Dijon, they take peeled whole or ground grains of black and Sarepta mustard. To prepare ordinary mustard, mustard powder is used. It is obtained from cake, which is formed as a result of squeezing oil from grains.

Also, mustard oil is preserved in Dijon, but not in ordinary mustard. Instead, sunflower oil is used.

Ordinary mustard is very spicy, but Dijon mustard is not very, rather with a sweet and sour taste. French mustard has a grainy texture, while regular mustard is smooth in consistency.

The composition of Dijon mustard includes white wine, and various spices and herbs can also be added. To make ordinary mustard, you will need table vinegar, water, table salt and spices.

Attached is a video that describes how Dijon and Yellow Mustard are made in the factory.

What to replace?

What can you substitute for Dijon mustard? - a frequently asked question of culinary specialists. The answer depends on what kind of dish you want to cook, where you could use another product instead of French mustard. For example, seasonings such as curry, nutmeg and coriander are perfect for marinating meat products.

In addition, you can cook mustard, which will taste like Dijon. To do this, mix one drop of Tabasco, one teaspoon of chopped horseradish, a pinch of granulated sugar and three hundred milliliters of white wine with mustard sauce (you can replace it with apple cider vinegar).

What do they eat with?

Dijon mustard is eaten with many foods. It is most in demand in the manufacture of meat products (chicken, pork, boiled pork, rabbit, barbecue, steak, chicken breast, sausage). The meat is smeared on both sides with mustard so that it is juicy and soft.

Some cooks use mustard to make mayonnaise, sauces, marinades. In fast food, Dijon mustard is no less popular. It is put in sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers.

Mustard is also used in the form of a sauce for dressing various salads.

How to make Dijon mustard at home?

Making Dijon mustard at home is not that difficult. The main thing is to follow the recipe for making mustard step by step, and everything will certainly work out.

To prepare Dijon mustard with your own hands, you first need to pour one hundred grams of dark and light mustard seeds with two tablespoons of warm water and set aside for about two hours. After a while, pour fifty milliliters of white wine and balsamic into the grains, as well as about sixty milliliters of olive oil. Then add a couple of pinches of a mixture of peppers, about eight grams of sea salt and about forty milliliters of liquid honey. Mix well and mash with a pestle until the desired consistency is obtained.

Store mustard in a glass container with an airtight lid in the refrigerator for no more than two months.

Dijon mustard (fr. Moutarde de Dijon) is a traditional French mustard made from seeds of different shades with the addition of all kinds of spices and white wine. Instead of wine, a mixture of water, wine vinegar and salt can also be used.

The color of the seasoning is pale yellow, and its rich taste is sweet and spicy, tender and burning. This original dressing serves as a great addition to fish, meat, vegetables, various salads.

The calorie content of the product is 143 kcal per 100 g. In this article, we will look at how to cook Dijon mustard step by step. We offer you detailed cooking recipes with photos.

What is the difference between Dijon mustard and regular mustard?

• The taste of such a dressing is softer and sweeter than usual, so it is a ready-made sauce for salads, second courses, snacks;
• The French version differs from the usual one in color, which depends on the type of seed;
• Russian and English seasonings are made from yellow and white grains, while Dijon seasoning is made from brown seeds (almost black);
• The preparation of Dijon mustard includes various spices - allspice, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon.

Whole grain version of Dijon mustard

This fragrant, almost creamy dish with a touch of aristocracy is a favorite addition to a variety of sandwiches and snacks. Dijon mustard is quick and easy to make at home. It will delight even the most true connoisseurs of this culinary delight.

Components:

• 0.5 cups of white wine vinegar and dry white wine;
• 4 large spoons of brown and yellow mustard seeds;
• A pinch of fine salt;
• 5 g light brown sugar (optional)

Cooking scheme:

1. Pour mustard seeds into glassware, pour vinegar and wine. Cover with a thick cling film and leave to stand for a day at room temperature. All components must be "saturated" with each other's aromas;
2. Next, transfer the contents of the container to a mixer, add salt, add sugar if desired, beat until a pasty substance;
3. We put the mass in a clean glass container, tighten the lid and put it in the refrigerator.

Ready seasoning can be tasted after 12 hours. The longer it is stored, the more tender it will be. But it is advisable to store such a product in a refrigerator for no more than three months.

Classic view of Moutarde de Dijon

This recipe calls for chestnut (almost black) mustard seeds, but dry mustard is sometimes used. Creamy pasta may contain small dark brown whole grains when cooked.

French Dijon mustard must be kept in the refrigerator for at least 2 days before the appearance of an excellent range of flavors, but it is not forbidden to taste it right away.

Ingredients:

• 4 large spoons of mustard seeds (brown);
• 10 g of olive oil;
• 100 g of onions;
• 200 ml of table white wine;
• garlic clove;
• a tablespoon of honey;
• 5 drops of Tabasco sauce;
• 4 g salt.

Dijon mustard recipe:

1. Pass the peeled garlic through a press, rub the onion on a fine grater, pour wine;
2. Place in a saucepan and put on fire. After boiling, cook on low heat for 8 minutes;
3. Let the mixture cool, then strain it to get rid of the pieces of garlic and onion. Mix with mustard seeds, crushed with a coffee grinder or mortar. Beat everything with a blender;
4. Pour in the oil, add salt. Bring to a boil again and simmer until the mass thickens;
5. Add Tobasco sauce and honey, stir, cook for another four minutes on a small flame until thickened, stir constantly (this is important for the desired consistency);
6. Ready mustard should have a creamy thick consistency. You can keep it for 2 months in a refrigerator in a non-metallic container.

Another interesting condiment

The darker the mustard seeds, the sharper they are. For a more delicate culinary delight, take light grains. For aroma, the dressing must be infused. If it stands for at least a day, you will get a wonderful addition to your favorite dishes.

Description of the components:

• 1/2 small spoons of turmeric, brown sugar, honey, vinegar;
• 0.5 cups of pure water;
• 20 g mustard seeds;
• star anise;
• A pinch of cinnamon.

Cooking:

1. Soak mustard seeds in water for 2 hours, remembering to stir constantly. They should swell, become soft;
2. At this time, we are preparing the fragrant base on our own. Mix turmeric, sugar, vinegar, preferably liquid honey and a large spoonful of water. Carefully grind everything and wait until the honey and sugar dissolve (about an hour);
3. Anise grind to powder in a mortar. Together with cinnamon, it will give the culinary masterpiece a spicy aroma;
4. We mix all the ingredients. If there is excess water left in the mustard seed bowl, pour it out. Let's add the finished base and delicious spices there;
5. Mix, let the product brew for at least two hours to reveal all its amazing aroma.

Dijon Mustard Vitamin Salad

There are many recipes for delicious and unusual salads with French dressing. This is just one of them.

Required components:

• A handful of fresh cranberries, fresh spinach and almonds;
• 100 g goat cheese (can be replaced with hard cheese).

• A small spoonful of brown sugar;
• A large spoonful of Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon juice.

Manufacturing process:

1. Wash and dry the spinach, arrange randomly on a plate;
2. Sprinkle cranberries on top (if it is in a frozen state, then it must be thawed);
3. Crumble the cheese (if hard, then cut into cubes), decorate with chopped nuts.

To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together and pour our "beauty". This dish is very healthy and perfect for a light dinner.

Salad with cheese and lentils

List of ingredients:

• 3 tomatoes;
• A clove of garlic;
• 200 g of cheese;
• onion head;
• 200 g lentils "Mistral";
• Greenery;
• Dijon mustard, salt to taste.

Cooking instruction:

1. Cook the lentils for 20 minutes in boiling, slightly salted water until tender. Salt the liquid, put the beans in a salad bowl and set aside for 8-10 minutes;
2. In the process of cooking lentils, crumble the cheese, cut the tomatoes into slices, onions into thin slices;
3. Rub the garlic on a fine grater;
4. Add onions, tomatoes, cheese to the cooled beans. Season with French seasoning, garlic, salt, stir everything;
5. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.

Salad "Nostalgic"

A nostalgic dish from the Soviet Union in the late 70s, dressed with mayonnaise and prepared for the holidays. We will bring our own changes to the dressing and make it creamy mustard.

Products:

• 3 eggs;
• Dill;
• Bank (200 g) canned squid;
• A bag of rice for quick cooking (preferably TM "Mistral");
• a tablespoon of sour cream;
• Salt - to taste;
• A teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Prepare the Dijon Mustard Salad:

1. Boil the rice according to the instructions in salted water, cool;
2. Pre-boiled hard-boiled eggs cut into small cubes;
3. Finely chop the squid;
4. Grind the washed dill;
5. Mix all the ingredients, season with mustard and sour cream.

Video: Dijon Mustard Recipe

For several centuries, Dijon mustard has been especially popular among culinary specialists. Do you dream of recreating the original recipes of famous masters of culinary art at home? Then take advantage of our tips and cook delicious French dishes!

Dijon mustard: how is it different from the usual?

Many are interested in why this sauce is so in demand, and how does it differ from ordinary seasoning? Peculiarities:

• Creamy texture.
• Mustard oil is preserved for creation, and sunflower oil is used in the usual one.
• Soft taste.
• Pale yellow hue.
• Various components are used. White wine and herbs are introduced into the dressing, and table vinegar, water and spices are added to the usual dressing.

There are about 20 varieties of French sauces.

How to make Dijon mustard?

Two variations of dressing are most in demand - classic and whole grain. We suggest you familiarize yourself with how to make a breathtaking seasoning for each of the recipes.

To make a traditional sauce, you will need:

• Finely chopped onion - 200 grams.
• Grind 2 garlic cloves.
• Honey - 4 teaspoons.
• Seasoning powder - 120 ml.
• Vegetable oil - 2 dessert spoons.
• Tabasco - 4 drops.
• Dry white wine - 2 cups.

Create a delicious dish with honey:

• You will need a small saucepan into which wine is poured, garlic and onions are added.
• Boil the mass.
• Lower the heat and simmer the sauce, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into a deep bowl and set aside.
• Pour dry mustard powder and strained wine mixture into the pan. Stir thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
• Enter oil, honey and Tabasco sauce. Stir.
• Put the container on a slow fire. During cooking, the dressing is constantly stirred until a thick consistency is obtained.
• Cool the resulting mass. The dish is stored in a plastic container for up to 8 weeks.

Whole grain sauce is created from the following components:

• Mustard seeds brown and yellow - ¼ of a glass each.
• Dry white wine - half a glass.
• White wine vinegar - 50 grams.
• Salt - half a teaspoon.
• Brown sugar (if you prefer spicy dishes) - 1 teaspoon.

Cooking process:

• In a small bowl, add all ingredients and mix. Cover the container with a plastic bag and leave to infuse at room temperature for 48 hours.
• After that, the mixture is poured into the blender bowl and whipped for 30 seconds.
• Please note that this recipe does not require a uniform consistency.
• Shelf life 90 days.

For your information, the sauce should be consumed 3 days after preparation, as all the flavors will have time to mix and the sauce will become tender and spicy.

Salads with Dijon mustard: recipes

Would you like to make a salad with this seasoning? We offer several popular recipes that will perfectly complement both the daily menu and the festive table.

• Salad with fresh tomatoes, cheese and quail eggs.
• Salad with salmon fillet.

To prepare the first course you will need:

• Boiled quail eggs - 10 pcs.
• Cherry tomatoes - 30 grams.
• Mozzarella cheese - 100 grams.
• Green salad.
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons.
• Wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon.
• Pepper and salt to taste.
• French seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Preparing the salad:

• Eggs and tomatoes are cut into slices.
• Mozzarella is cut into cubes.
• Tear lettuce with your hands.
• We put the ingredients in a plate, pour oil, then vinegar and mustard.
• Enter salt and pepper.

The dish is ready!

A delicious salmon recipe will require:

• A glass of rice.
• 1 lemon.
• Mustard powder - 6 grams.
• Smoked salmon - 100 grams.
• Bulb.
• Pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.
• Sunflower oil - 1 tablespoon.
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon.
• Salt and black pepper to taste.
• Parsley and dill for garnish.

Making a salad:

• Cook rice until done.
• Sauce: mustard is mixed with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Cut the onion and cucumber into cubes.
• Mix rice, cucumbers, onions and finely chopped greens.
• Drizzle salad with dressing.
• Wrap the salmon fillet in rolls and spread the salad on top.

French Dijon mustard

Benefits for the body of this seasoning:

• It has a beneficial effect on the activity of the nervous system.
• We stimulate cerebral circulation.
• Improves memory and attention.
• Recommended for women in the treatment of infertility.
• Relieves inflammation.
• Has bactericidal properties.

Despite the beneficial properties, the sauce is not used in large quantities, because it irritates the gastric mucosa.