Speciality Dijon Mustard Review - Trader Joe's Provençal Mustard (from the Mustard Miscellany)

This time, I bring you, my loyal mustards, a real treat. Straight from the marvelous Trader Joe's Mustard Miscellany (which you can bet I'll be reviewing over the next few weeks!), I bring you a truly interesting mustard; Trader Joe's own Provençal mustard.

Get excited!

After rudimentary research, I have found that a Provençal mustard is considered by most mustard companies to be a Dijon with paprika, as Trader Joe's is; another example would be Edmond Fallot's own Provencal Dijon Mustard, which I plan to try once I can find it in a local shop!

As per usual with Trader Joe's mustards, the jar is nothing special, just a nice & functional glass jar with a screw top. Easy to use, effective for storage, really all-around okay. One thing I have noticed is that Trader Joe's seems to have a sort of continuity with its choice of glassware, as their wonderful stone-ground Dijon also has the same jar. It's food for thought.

On to the actual mustard - I had no idea it would be so paprika-y! When it comes down to it, the mustard is good not for the mustard flavor as much as the great paprika flavor, which is a taste you tend not to get with such a weak flavor. The white wine is also used well, and it is not overpowering to the rest of the flavors, as the acidic base of mustards can be (I'm looking at you, Heinz.) Although the paprika is great, I am a bit disappointed in how the mustard is masked by the strength of the paprika flavor; I would have preferred it if the flavors had balanced to be a Provençal mustard, not a paprika spread with mustard. But I digress - it's still good stuff. It's really nice on it's own, with a nice toasted bread like a baguette, and it also works well on savory foods, as long as you use enough of it.

This mustard excels in its amazing paprika-ful taste and smart use of white wine as the base of the dijon, but the mustard taste is just not strong enough to work with the paprika - if I have to search for the mustard while tasting, that's not going to earn great marks from me. Because of this, I give it a low 8; I may sound like I don't like it, but it's really still very tasty!

Dijon Mustard Review - Edmond Fallot Basil

C'est une belle moutarde, oui?

Welcome, fellow mustardeers, to the world of French mustard! Or, should I say, la monde des moutardes françaises! (My French is horrible, just warning you now.)

Mustard has been a part of French cuisine for centuries, chiefly dijon mustard, a classic variety of mustard made with white wine in lieu of vinegar. Now, most dijons do not actually sire from the original French city of Dijon. However, the Fallot Mustard Mill, which creates Edmon Fallot-brand mustard, is actually located in the Burgundian region of France, of which Dijon is the capital. (Their website is honestly fantastic, if translated a bit wonkily.) It doesn't get much more authentic than this!

Walking through my local HomeGoods the other day, I found this noble-looking jar with an orange mark-down sticker upon it. Half an hour later, I was home with my surprisingly inexpensive little prize. May the mustardy gods bless thee, HomeGoods!

Upon opening the stately jar, you find that the mustard is very, very pungent in smell, like many traditionally made mustards. Do not see this as a turn-off, however - the strong smell of white wine is not what it will taste like. In fact, the mustard does not taste much like white wine at all - it has an incredibly powerful basil taste. I found it overpowering when used as a dip for meats, so I recommend using it in conjunction with starches or bread. The mustard flavor is not the strongest, but I find that acceptable, given that the centerpiece of this particular mustard is it's basil attribute.

This mustard is quite the experience, and I recommend it to all those who enjoy pesto more than anything. I give it 7 basil leaves out of 10; it was often overpowering, but all in all, it was a formidable mustard that is worth your time.

Dijon Mustard Review - Trader Joe's Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

Another installment to our line of dijon mustard reviews is this versatile mustard by none other than Trader Joe's. With a strong dijon flavor and a nice grainy texture, this mustard breaks away from the pack. Also, it keeps well, and has a nice jar curvature unlike common mustard of the condiment jungle. Of course, there is the problem with convenience with the cap, but that is to be expected from any jar-based mustard.

I prefer this mustard above others on sandwiches. It's nice on ham, turkey and roast beef with a slice of muenster (which are basically the only sandwiches I make for myself). The interesting texture of the seeds helps to liven up an otherwise uniform meal. It complements other non-meaty flavors well too; it's a good go-to mustard for any mustardy activities that need a dose of uniqueness.

This specimen of a mustard can be hard to track down in your area, as it is sold exclusively by Joe himself. But no matter what you need to do to get your hands on it's glassy surface, it's definitely a mustard worth your time.

WALROR EDIT: okay this looks pretty mediocre so a 7 will do

HY is still unsponsered! I swear!

Dijon Mustard Review - Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (With Recipe for Honey Mustard)

Ah, Grey Poupon. Much like Ingelhoffer, we have no idea what it means, it's not gray, and the name does make it sound disgusting. But ah, is it versatile. It's one of the first dijon mustards, and is smooth like yellow mustard, yet more complex like stone ground mustard. It comes in (more recently) a fairly basic oblong squeeze bottle, but is more commonly found in a neat glass jar, and it always seems like mustard tastes better out of the jar. It also means that you don't get a desolate wasteland of a cap, even though you have to use a knife.


I'm quite a fan of this mustard. It has a fine white wine flavor (as advertised on the jar), and a nice "bite" of spice at the end, without much spice before, but still keeps that quintessential mustard taste, although it is a bit more acidic than I generally like. It's my favorite kind of "regular" mustard (I'll expand on that later), as it has a nice surprise with the kick of spice, and is good on just about anything.

As I said before, Grey Poupon is my favorite kind of "regular" mustard. By this I don't mean that all mustards are the same, I just try to use that to differentiate honey mustard from the regular mustard taste found with most other varieties of mustard. What happens when I don't have any honey mustard laying around? Simple! Grey Poupon has me covered, as I just make some honey mustard with it (versatility in a nutshell). If you want to make it, it's really not hard. Simply take a small cup, put some Grey Poupon (the squeezable kind works a bit better here for ease of use) in it, and pour in about an equivalent amount of honey, and mix it until combined. It's a bit thinner than the stuff you'd find in a bottle, and couldn't really be squeezed that well, but man is it delicious. Besides, by being thinner, this means you can also use it for easy dipping, and even as salad dressing, allowing you to eat your mustard on even more foods.

WALROR EDIT: This seems like a solid 7 poupons.