- [Narrator] The key to real Dijon mustard is in its seeds.
While other types of mustard use white seeds,
Dijon is made with these black ones,
which give it a tangy, sharp flavor.
Named after the town of Dijon, France,
very few of the black seeds used to make Dijon mustard
actually come from France.
But the few jars made with local seeds
will cost you up to six times more
than average Dijon mustard.
So what makes real Dijon mustard different?
And why is it so expensive?
(speaking in foreign language)
The jars of Dijon mustard made with local French ingredients
are sold as Burgundy mustard,
the name of the region where it has been made for centuries.
(speaking in foreign language)
The mustard plant is a cruciferous vegetable,
like cabbage, broccoli, horseradish, and turnip.
The plants are rich in pods, which are their fruit.
Each pod contains several dozen mustard seeds.
Dijon mustard is made with black mustard seeds,
which are more aromatic than the white ones
used for other types of mustard paste.
They have a high level of sinigrin,
which is the natural component that gives mustard
its pungent aroma.
(speaking in foreign language)
One of the factors that sets Burgundy mustard
apart from regular Dijon
and keeps the prices high
is that it's ground using a stone mill.
This is a much slower process
than using an automated steel mill.
Stone mills can grind only 100 tons of seeds per day.
The resulting flavor makes it worth it.
It preserves the spiciness of the seed
by keeping the paste at room temperature.
(speaking in foreign language)
To give Dijon mustard its distinct creaminess,
the paste goes through a sieve
which extracts the yellow kernel from the rind.
(speaking in foreign language)
Dijon mustard used to be made with verjus,
a green juice made from unripe raisins,
which added acidity and preserved the mustard.
As the recipe evolved,
producers sought to recreate its fruity flavor
using a combination of white wine and vinegar.
These two ingredients are still used
in most Dijon mustard today,
while Burgundy mustard is made with wine only.
This wine comes from a local grape variety called Aligote,
which carries hints
of the chalky, potassium-rich soil of the region.
(speaking in foreign language)
While the town of Dijon
and its surrounding region Burgundy
produce 90% of France's Dijon mustard,
finding local seeds is much rarer.
Most producers get their supplies from other countries,
with Canada growing 35%
of the world supply of mustard seeds.
Using foreign seeds is more convenient
and can be up to 50% cheaper than using French seeds.
In 2021, France produced only 4,000 metric tons of seeds,
far from the 32,000 metric tons that are needed
to meet the country's national demand for Dijon.
Local seeds also require extra care.
The use of pesticides is banned.
And in recent years, late frost in the spring
have been destroying mustard crops in Burgundy.
(speaking in foreign language)
The shortage of local seeds is part of a steady decline
over the last century.
But what made local farmers give up on growing mustard
was a 1957 European Union policy.
(speaking in foreign language)
The few jars on the market of Dijon mustard
made with local seeds are now called Burgundy mustard.
It became a protected label in 2009,
similar to other products like champagne.
It was launched as a collective effort
by local farmers, scientists, and mills
to reintroduce the crop in the region.
(speaking in foreign language)
Today, of the over 300 mustard mills
once present in the region,
only five remain, most of them industrial.
From its very seeds to the final bottled product,
Burgundy mustard is facing many challenges.
Late frosts are killing both mustard plants and vineyards,
making raw material even rarer and more expensive,
while the ongoing war in Ukraine is driving up gas prices.
(speaking in foreign language)
(soft music)