Mustard Is World’s Fastest Growing Condiment

Mustard has always been a popular addition to hot dogs, pastrami sandwiches, and bratwursts throughout the world. Now mustard is becoming to biggest trend among the foodie crowd who are labeling the popular yellow condiment the “it” accessory to a meal.

Gourmet brands are releasing dozens of gourmet mustards in order to appeal to this new foodie trend, and the styles are becoming more and more interesting. Boutique mustard companies are releasing variations of Dusseldorf style mustards, Course Tin Mustards (unrefined mustard seeds that have a texture that parallels caviar), and fruit mustards such as blueberry and raspberry. Mainstream mustard manufacturers French’s and Kraft foods are testing new varieties of staple mustards to be released in test markets through out the United States.

Namely, as the “it” condiment embraced by the foodie crowd.

Grey Poupon promoters have been saying that they think mustard is way more universal than ketchup and has more of an international appeal. The numbers are agreeing with their sentiment. The condiment raked in U.S. sales of $508 million in 2012 – an 11% jump since 2007, according to Mintel, a market researcher. In addition to flavor being a huge factor, the recent health craze in the Us is also contributing to the mustard boom. One mustard promoter having said “Farmers make our mustard zero calories, not scientists.”

Alice Price Becker, the restaurateur behind the New York eatery Alison 18 told Yahoo News, “Mustard is the new butter, the new mayo. We are finding our guests asking for mustard for their bread and their fries.”

In addition to all the hype coming from market reporters, The National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin is reporting that the museum presides over a showcase of more than 5,500 mustards from all 50 states and 70-plus counties. The museum has a healthy mail order catalog where enthusiasts can order bottles of thousands of types of mustards. Also, the museum is going to be promoting an annual mustard contest where amateur and professional chefs can come and show off new varieties of the popular yellow condiment. This year’s contest already has more than 300 applicants.