A few weeks ago, I wrote about Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 (Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Year A, 2023), the first two verses of which involve our Lord discussing the Mustard seed:

13:31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;

13:32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

John MacArthur’s accompanying sermon tells us that mustard was used since ancient times for various purposes:

… it was used for many things.  It was used for its oil.  And its oil, by the way, was used for many things as well, one of which was medicinal use.  It was used also for flavoring.  Even today, mustard seed is valuable commodity.  It’s very valuable.  And they raised it as a crop, as we still do.

It was around this time, July 2023, that I watched an episode of a French baking programme, M6’s La meilleure boulangerie de France (France’s Best Bakery), which happened to take place in the heart of France, Touraine. The co-presenter and top judge, Bruno Cormerais, a MOF, said that Charles Martel brought mustard to the region, where it is still grown and produced widely.

Charles Martel was the ruler of the Franks between 718 and 741.

Afterwards, I did some research on French mustard but couldn’t find anything about Charles Martel’s involvement. However, during Martel’s reign as ruler of part of France in the Dark Ages, it so happens that a ruler of a caliphate invaded that region in 732. Islam was but a young religion then, yet its men already controlled much of Iberia (today’s Spain and Portugal):

Charles Martel gained a very consequential victory against an Umayyad invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours, at a time when the Umayyad Caliphate controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula. Alongside his military endeavours, Charles has been traditionally credited with a seminal role in the development of the Frankish system of feudalism.^[8][9]

Wikipedia has a summary of what happened at Tours. Charles Martel’s nemesis was a certain Duke Odo, who had allied himself with the caliphate’s ruler (emphases mine):

In 731, after defeating the Saxons, Charles turned his attention to the rival southern realm of Aquitaine, and crossed the Loire, breaking the treaty with Duke Odo. The Franks ransacked Aquitaine twice, and captured Bourges, although Odo retook it. The Continuations of Fredegar allege that Odo called on assistance from the recently established emirate of al-Andalus, but there had been Arab raids into Aquitaine from the 720s onwards. Indeed, the anonymous Chronicle of 754 records a victory for Odo in 721 at the Battle of Toulouse, while the Liber Pontificalis records that Odo had killed 375,000 Saracens.^[22] It is more likely that this invasion or raid took place in revenge for Odo’s support for a rebel Berber leader named Munnuza.

Whatever the precise circumstances were, it is clear that an army under the leadership of Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi headed north, and after some minor engagements marched on the wealthy city of Tours. According to British medieval historian Paul Fouracre, “Their campaign should perhaps be interpreted as a long-distance raid rather than the beginning of a war“.^[23] They were, however, defeated by the army of Charles at the Battle of Tours (known in France as the Battle of Poitiers), at a location between the French cities of Tours and Poitiers, in a victory described by the Continuations of Fredegar. According to the historian Bernard Bachrach, the Arab army, mostly mounted, failed to break through the Frankish infantry.^[24] News of this battle spread, and may be recorded in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History (Book V, ch. 23). However, it is not given prominence in Arabic sources from the period.^[25]

Despite his victory, Charles did not gain full control of Aquitaine, and Odo remained duke until 735.

However, mustard aficionados will say — rightly — that Rome brought the seed to France during the days of empire centuries before.

GS Dunn, a company that mills dry mustard, gives us the full history, beginning in Egypt in the era before Christ:

Mustard has been one of the most widely grown and used spices in the world for many centuries. It is believed to have originated in Ancient Egypt. The Greeks used Mustard as a medicine and a spice. The Romans emulated the Greeks using it as both food and medicine as well, ascribing it as a cure for anything from hysteria to snakebite to bubonic plague.

The Romans brought Mustard to Northern France where it was eventually cultivated by Monks. By the 9th century Monasteries were producing considerable amounts of income from Mustard sales.

The origin of the word mustard is believed to have come from the word Mosto or grape muss, a young unfermented wine which was mixed with ground Mustard seeds by the French Monks.

Thanks to Pope John XXII, France’s mustard industry centred around Dijon:

Prepared mustard as we know it, began in Dijon, France in the 13th century encouraged by the Mustard loving Pope John XXll of Avignon who created the position of “Grand Moustardier du Pape” or the Grand Mustard-Maker to the Pope for his idle Nephew who lived near Dijon.

More recent developments occurred in the United Kingdom and the United States:

In the early 19th century, the British became the world’s first mustard millers – milling the heart of the mustard seed to a fine powder and they established mustard as an industrial food ingredient. The yellow Mustard that we know today was introduced in Rochester New York in 1904 where its pairing with the American hotdog gave rise to its popularity.

Today this ancient seed is considered an essential ingrediant in thousands of products and is being increasingly used for its many unique properties.

Canada is pivotal to today’s commercial mustard industry, including GS Dunn:

G.S. Dunn knows the valuable role mustard has played throughout culinary history, as we have been supplying quality dry mustard products to the most notable names in the global food market since 1867.

Mr. Dunn of Croydon England capitalized on the rich soil of the Canadian Prairies and one of the best deep water ports in Canada when he established his milling operation in Hamilton, Ontario over a century ago. In 2019 G.S. Dunn established a seed procurement and cleaning facility, strategically located in the Canadian Prairies in Bow Island, Alberta.

Today, we are the world’s largest dry mustard miller, distributing to over 60 countries across 6 continents.

With increased demand, our production facility has accelerated over the past five years with innovative technology and improved manufacturing processes, permitting greater production capacity and enhanced customer service.

Returning to France, The Good Life France has an interesting post on the history of mustard in that nation. Regulations began around 60 years after the aforementioned Pope John XXII, the longest reigning Avignon pope, died. That said, Charlemagne — Charles Martel’s grandson — also enjoyed the condiment centuries earlier:

Mustard has a rich history of cosmetic and pharmaceutical uses throughout the ages, not to mention its ability to hide the flavour of less than fresh foods. For the French, mustard has been a firm favourite for centuries after likely being introduced by the Romans. In 1390, the French government issued regulations for the manufacture of mustard, decreeing that it contain nothing more than “good seed and suitable vinegar” …

French Kings had their own mustard makers; according to Alexander Dumas, the great French writer, Louis XI kept his on pot of mustard with him most of the time so that he was prepared when visiting friends. Charlemagne employed monks from Beaux (a city outside of Paris) to cultivate the mustard seed and grind it for him personally. In fact, the huge round grinding stones used for this purpose were often cut out of quarries in Meaux, leading to its becoming a centre for mustard making.

The Maille brand, probably the world’s most famous, began in Marseille and only moved to Dijon later on:

The Maille story began in Marseille. A local distiller called Antoine Maille sold his own blend of vinegar in the street. There was a plague in 1723 and many believed they were saved by spraying themselves with his product which made it even more popular and increased sales. In 1747, Antoine Maille had becomes so successful he opened the first Maille shop, on Rue St Andre in Paris (no longer in existence), selling vinegar and mustard. His products attracted the attention of royalty from around the world including King Louis XV. In 1821 a shop was opened in Dijon and later on Place de la Madeleine, Paris.

The current Maille shop in Paris is across the street from the Church of the Madeleine in a lovely district in the heart of the city:

Inside are many different flavours and colors of mustards, a little tasting area and porcelain pumps used to dispense the mustard sauce into earthenware jars for customers, they are corked to keep the mustard fresh …

Inside the boutique you will see mustards of all colors from bright green to deep orange. Some of the flavors are green pea with shallots, garlic and lemon, and orange confit with ginger. The china pumps stylishly deliver mustard into jars of different sizes and styles and you can also buy vinegar and cornichons, the famous French pickle.

You can probably find Maille mustard in your local grocery store but it won’t taste the same as when you buy it in France and you won’t be able to find the flavours they have in the French stores. There are stores in Australia, London and New York City and you can order mustard from their website but, if you are in Paris, be sure to go in and have the experience of shopping in person at 6 Place de la Madeleine.

I have read two things about Maille in the French press. First, they, too, use Canadian mustard seeds. Secondly, most Maille on offer these days is produced in Eastern Europe rather than Dijon, the city with which the company has long been connected. In any event, Maille still uses strict production methods.

So, the next time we spread some mustard on a hot dog or other sandwich, such as pressed ox tongue, let us remember the humble mustard seed’s noble history, which has spread throughout most of the world for health and happiness.