Interesting facts on mustard made in Alberta: you can taste it everywhere
Most Edmontonians are very fond of the expensive yellow canola fields across the province. What is interesting to know is that many of these crops of sunshine are actually canola’s cousin, mustard.
On the world’s plate:
Alberta is part of the Canadian prairie provinces who produce around 80% of the world’s mustard seeds. We can proudly say that our mustard is used all over the world to make a large part of the best-prepared mustard products available on the market. It ranges from ballpark yellow mustard to France’s famous Dijon mustards. There is a big chance that, if someone uses prepared mustard or mustard oil on their dish anywhere in the world, the seeds came from right here in Alberta.
The three most common types of mustard seeds are all grown in Alberta. North Americans’ favourite mustard is generally yellow mustard. In Europe, the trends show that brown mustard is the most commonly used in preparations which include Dijon. As for the Asia region, more precisely the Japanese are big fans of oriental mustard which is usually in oil form.
One of Canada’s biggest clients is no other than the famous French mustard producer, Maille, with up to 5,000 tonnes of Canadian mustard seeds per year. This prolific relationship is enough to produce 1.9 million jars of their popular Dijon mustards.
Too many forms and all delicious:
A big part of us are familiar with preparing mustard as a condiment on foods like hot dogs and hamburgers, but in fact, there are a lot more culinary uses for this golden nectar. It might shock you to know that, mustard is actually considered the third most popular condiment in the world after salt and pepper.
Many chefs often use mustard to brighten up the flavour of many recipes, especially mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, vinaigrettes and marinades. Speaking of different ways to use mustard, the seeds themselves can be used as an ingredient in pickles, as a delicious addition to a prime rib roast, or even encrusted on pan-fired salmon. These seeds are easily found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. As for mustard oil, it is extracted similarly to canola oil and is a spicy ingredient popular in Asian cuisine
Mountainviewtoday.ca take on the suject Not only are Albertan farmers making a name for Canadian mustard, but so are some local Albertan food manufacturers and chefs.