Today, a North American retail consumer can commonly choose from as many as 40 different prepared mustards in shelf-facings at any major supermarket; a specialty-food store probably stocks an additional 20 to 30.

Mustard is more than just an ordinary condiment. It has complemented meals throughout the world since the earliest recorded times -- from the ancient Egyptians and Chinese to Julius Caesar's Roman Empire and William Shakespeare's medieval England. In the 17th century, Louis XIV gave the city of Dijon, France, exclusive rights to produce Dijon mustard and created strict rules concerning its production. The substitution of verjuice, or verjus (unripe grape juice), for vinegar in 1856 made for a great mustard year, resulting in a less-acidic product that we still enjoy today.

There are some very good reasons to consider making your own mustard to obtain a unique product. American mustard -- whether yellow or brown -- is familiar to all of us, as is Dijon, with its creamy texture and robust flavour. These versions are also available double-strong, useful when creating either chilled- or heated-sauce applications. Whether it's a mustard called for in an older food recipe or one of the unique varieties present in overabundance on condiment shelves, these days, it is often the combination of ingredients that make up a particular mustard which will result in something new and/or memorable.

The first part of the mustard equation is, of course, mustard seeds. All prepared mustards (pastes) are made from the seeds of either Brassica hirta (white or yellow mustard) or Brassica juncea (brown mustard). Mustard powder and Indian cooking often use black mustard seeds (Brassica nigra), though these seeds are less common than the other two varieties because they must be harvested by hand. Whether yellow, brown or black, mustard seeds can be left whole, crushed or ground into powder, or used in a combination of any or all of these forms.

In prepared-mustard manufacture, the seeds first are crushed. After this, the bran and germ may be separated, and then mixed with an acidic liquid (in general, the bran is separated out from the germ unless a grainy or coarser-textured mustard is desired); seasoned and/or flavoured; sometimes simmered; sometimes aged; packaged; and then, hopefully, enjoyed.

The liquid that hydrates the mustard is only limited by a person's creativity and, potentially, their budget. Some choices include fruit juices (citrus, berry, verjuice, etc.), vinegars (plain, wine-based, or flavoured with herbs, spices or fruit), wine (white, red, blush, sweet, dry or sparkling), beer (pale, dark, etc.), cider and spirits (whiskey, vodka, tequila, etc.). Seasonings and flavourings also leave plenty of room for experimentation. From spices and herbs to fruit and chili peppers, the possibilities are endless.

Hydrating wasabi powder with beer, rather than water, gives it a rounder, deeper finish due to the beer's flavour attributes. Think of a beer batter for deep-frying using dark Belgian ale versus an American pilsner; this illustrates the taste difference. (Have we lost our minds or our mustard focus? Absolutely not. We simply wish to punctuate the fact that it takes "quality in" to result in "quality out" of the box or package.) Sourcing the right ingredients for a signature mustard is essential. For example, achieving the specific, desired result may entail using beers or wines that have not been denatured.

Favourable market conditions speak to partnerships between mustard makers and alcoholic-beverage makers (primarily beer and wine). American brewing and viniculture has never been better, with both large-scale manufacturers and craft brewers coexisting in the marketplace. Beer and wine flavours and powders are available for application work. Verjuice has generally been replaced with white-wine concentrates in Dijon mustard, but it is becoming more available as a commercial ingredient; additional U.S. viniculture production could make verjuice more mainstream. This year's grape harvest is predicted to be enormous and will result in new highs for quality and lows for costs. Therefore, the time is ripe to explore grape must, verjuice and wine ingredient options.

The mustard mix

If you have spent time looking at grocery-store mustard shelves or visited the Mount Horeb, WI, Mustard Museum (or its website, www.mustardmuseum.com), you know that the "big three" (Dijon; American, which includes both spicy brown deli-style mustard and yellow mustard; and English) are not alone. Besides the variety of honey mustards and spicy chili versions, there are some unique combinations. Mustard may join ketchup by offering coloured variations targeted to kids. However, coloured mustards have existed for quite a while. Dijon, France-based Maille, the original Dijon mustard house, produces a mustard finished with cassis liquor to give it a rosy-pink colour. It also makes one with the juice of red fruits that has a more salmon-like hue. These limited-production boutique mustards are only available through the company's store in Paris.

Tarragon mustard is superb, even, perhaps, for people who do not like tarragon by itself. It is a (or perhaps the) classic flavoured mustard due to the way that tarragon flavour resonates in acids. Horseradish mustard is another classic example of combining different, but related, flavours to provide a new take on the traditional. Wasabi also shares horseradish's compatibility with mustard. In fact, commercial wasabi powder is made not from wasabi, but from horseradish. The real wasabi, a rhizome that grows semi-wild in Japanese freshwater streams, has a slightly different profile and is very expensive.

Wasabi, raspberry, honey, horseradish, etc. -- the list of potential mustard flavours is long, limited only by one's imagination and gumption. However, the notion that fusion can lead to confusion applies here, so before you pack that black-raspberry wasabi mirin mustard, make sure of three things: that it tastes good; that you can taste all of the component flavours; and that consumers are ready to purchase such an item.

The parallels between Maille; Norwich, England-based Colman's; and the United States' Reckitt Benckiser French's, a division of Reckitt Benckiser, Inc., Wayne, NJ, are apparent. All three companies produce mustard products and all have a signature product that has become associated with the country of origin. However, one very simple mustard fusion that we have yet to see commercially available is a combination of the "big three" -- Dijon, English and American -- as either a topical application for roasted meats (especially for poultry) or for use as a mustard ingredient. Variations of this "trinity" could include Düsseldorf mustard, which will introduce some spice or allium notes, or whole-grain mustards for particulates and visual impact. These options could well provide even more signature in the final product. (Please note that if using dried English mustard, do so at a much smaller percentage than one-third.)

When working on a mustard project, it makes sense to start with these companies for information, samples and expertise. However, many other mustard and mustard-flour producers exist that may offer other benefits, including custom services, ingredients, location or price. Shop around.

Much more to mustard

In addition to its role as a condiment, mustard acts as a functional ingredient "behind the scenes" in many applications. In mayonnaise and salad dressings, it helps stabilize the emulsion by binding free water within the system. It also emulsifies meat products such as hot dogs and bologna. In addition, mustard provides preservative properties that stem from its essential oil, which has been found to inhibit the growth of certain yeasts, moulds and bacteria.

Mustard can also flavour other foods. Global examples abound, from pâtés in France -- where dry or prepared mustards are used with a blend of other spices to flavour the final product -- to the mustard or mustard oil that give flavour and heat to sauces and pickles from India and the region of Bengal. Food-grade mustard oil comes in either natural or synthetic forms. Extremely potent, it is used in commercial mayonnaise production, as well as in a regional Italian vegetable relish, to name but a few applications. (And although certain components of mustard oil are irritants, the term "mustard gas" -- applied to the chemical-warfare agent -- is a misnomer. The actual gas, employed in World War I, is not made from mustard oil, but received its name due to the vapour's yellow colour and the odour of its fumes.)

When we think of mustard's propensity to both reinforce flavour and round out recipes, sauce Robert from French cuisine immediately springs to mind. Robert sauce uses acid (reduced white wine and/or vinegar) to enhance the flavour of the stock base and the mustard. Another mustard-based sauce, Cumberland, hails from England. This chilled sauce is found on cold meats (especially game) and on or with pâtés, and contains lemon zest, red currant jelly, port wine, mustard, ginger and vinegar. Much like the chutneys brought back from Britain's Indian outpost, this sauce combines sweet, sour and piquant in a very interesting fashion.

Acid enhances mustard and mustard flavours, a fact that should not be forgotten when formulating with or creating mustards. Remember the switch from vinegar (acetic acid) to verjuice and its corresponding mellowness. With a global pantry at our fingertips, consider rice, cider, balsamic, sherry, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and other vinegars when making mustard or adding it in applications. The vast array of high-quality commercially available vinegars and cooking wines pushes food manufacturers to continually evaluate their own products. Today, no one has a real excuse to just default to 200-grain distilled vinegar and dilute.

We have seen heat with sweet in Tabasco®- and wasabi-laced ice creams, chili-pepper jellies and chili-infused gourmet chocolates. An extension of these ideas would be to incorporate mustard into sweets and desserts. It can contrast rich flavours or complement desserts influenced by cuisines known for their use of spicy flavours. For example, adding a little mustard flour to a caramel sauce acts as a foil for the decadent flourless chocolate cake it garnishes. Incorporating a small amount of black mustard seed into cassis ice cream adds crunch and heat to complement the ice cream's tart flavour and cool, creamy mouth-feel. A scoop of this on top of a warm, caramelized apple crisp would create a multitude of flavour and textural combinations for the mouth to explore and, hopefully, enjoy. Don't be surprised to see sweet or dessert items that have mustard as an ingredient.

One of our premises is that we are in a food renaissance. The variety and number of cooking shows on TV are only outnumbered by the amount of mustards on grocery-store shelves. The idea of a celebrity chef is no longer a foreign concept. However, we are also in the midst of a merger-happy corporate phenomenon that has changed (and will continue to change) our food-styles. While cause may exist to lament the loss of old ways, we feel that there is more to celebrate. Because of our new ability to source formerly exotic ingredients, and the market's general push for new items, we find more interest in quality food-product development than ever before. With this renaissance, we see mustard appreciated and used across the board, from spicy brown on hot dogs in ballparks to Moutarde à L'Ancienne (traditional French whole-grain mustard) as a common culinary ingredient.