Forest mustard: A journey from ancient Chinese tables to modern home kitchens

Few cold sauces have matched mustard in success. This condiment's main ingredient is mustard seeds, a plant cultivated in the Indus Valley around 2000 BC. However, the Chinese first processed the seeds by grinding them into a paste served before meals to stimulate the appetite.

The ancient Romans followed their lead, combining ground mustard seeds with unfermented grape juice, which can be considered the forerunner of mustard. As time passed, the list of ingredients began to grow. A cookbook titled "De re coquinaria", from the turn of the 4th and 5th century, contains a sauce recipe featuring ground mustard, pepper, caraway, lovage, thyme, onion, honey, vinegar, and fish sauce.

The recipe for mustard reached France around the 10th century. Initially produced by the monks of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Parisian monastery, it quickly gained popularity. Eventually, Dijon became the capital of this sauce.

Today, people worldwide enjoy mustard. It is frequently served as a condiment with both cold and hot meats. It also serves as an ingredient in sauces, vinaigrettes, or marinades. In Belgium and the Netherlands, mustard soup is a favourite.

We can purchase various types of mustard from stores, but it's also straightforward to prepare it at home. For instance, consider trying the forest version.

The foundation of mustard's distinctive taste and aroma comes directly from its primary ingredient. When preparing a forest sauce, it's best to use the seeds of the white mustard variety, a member of the cruciferous family (most people are unaware that it's a relative of cabbage, cauliflower, or kohlrabi).

These small seeds boast high nutritional value. White mustard seeds aid digestion by significantly increasing saliva production. Their iron, magnesium, and selenium content supports the immune system, demonstrating antifungal properties, alleviating muscle spasms, treating joint pain, and promoting heart health. The seeds can also freshen your breath.

Additionally, white mustard supports metabolic health, aiding protein synthesis and processing fats and carbohydrates. This mustard variant effectively detoxifies the body, strengthening bones and teeth in the process.

Pine oil is an integral ingredient of forest mustard. It can occasionally be found in health food stores or prepared easily at home. The best time for this is late spring, during May or the start of June, when young pine shoots are still coated in scales and resin.

Place a handful of fresh shoots into a jar and add around half a litre of oil, preferably rapeseed or sunflower oil (the pine buds should be completely submerged). Seal the jar and leave it in a sunny, warm location, shaking its contents every couple of days. After a month or so, the oil will have a distinct forest-like taste and aroma.

To prepare the mustard, you'll need 12 tablespoons of white mustard seeds. Pour these into a jar, add boiled, lukewarm water and leave it overnight. Drain and grind in a pestle and mortar until the desired consistency is achieved, then continue to crush, add two tablespoons of wine vinegar and heather honey, and season with salt and pepper. You can add herbs such as marjoram if you fancy. Gradually add the pine oil during this process. You can also use a blender.

Transfer the prepared mustard into a jar and refrigerate it for a few hours to meld all the flavours.