Roman Mustard Sauces

Mustard: The first element is ultimately from Latin mustum, ("must", young wine) — the condiment was originally prepared by making the ground seeds into a paste with must. The second element comes also from Latin ardens, (hot, flaming). It was first attested in English in the late 13th century, though it was found as a surname a century earlier.

Mustard was one of the most common sauces in ancient Rome. Used also alone, it appears as an ingredient for more complex recipes in the cookbook attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius, in his De Re Coquinaria, but who, sadly, doesn’t give us his own recipe for mustard. The name is derived from mustum ardens, meaning “burning must,” which is not very enlightening, except that it tells us that the first mustards were originally very spicy.

Columella (1st century) and Palladius (4th century), both agronomists, are fundamental sources not only for the agriculture and farming, but also for the many recipes of preserves, sauces, alcoholic beverages, cheese, honey, oil they wrote in their treatises. Differently from Apicius, who writes recipes for rich banquets, Columella and Palladius’ methods are simpler and meant also for farmers and common people.

Columella’s Recipe for Mustard

Original recipe: Semen sinapis diligenter purgato et cribrato; deinde aqua frigida eluito et, cum fuerit bene lotum, duabus horis in aqua sinito; postea tollito, et manibus expressum in mortarium novum aut bene emundatum adicito et pistillis conterito. Cum contritum fuerit, totam intritam ad medium mortarium contrahito et comprimito manu plana; deinde cum compresseris, scarifato, et, inpositis paucis carbonibus vivis, aquam nitratam suffundito, ut omnem amaritudinem eius et pallorem exsaniet. Deinde statim mortarium erigito, ut omnis umor eliquetur. Post hoc album acre acetum adicito et pistillo permisceto colatoque. Hoc ius ad rapa condienda optime facit. Ceterum, si velis ad usum conviviorum praeparare, cum exsaniaveris sinape, nucleos pineos quam recentissimos et amylum adicito diligenterque conterito, infuso aceto. Cetera, ut supra dixi, facito. Hoc sinapi ad embamma non solum idoneo sed etiam specioso uteris; nam est candoris eximii, si sit curiose factum.

Translation: Cleanse and sift mustard-seed carefully; then wash it with cold water; and, when it has been well-washed, let it lie two hours in water; afterwards take it out; and, having squeezed the water out of it with your hands, throw it into a new mortar, or into one that is made very clean, and bruise it small with pestles: when you have bruised it, draw the whole mash together to the middle of the mortar, and press it down with your flat open hand; and, after you have compressed it, scarify [prick holes in] it; and, having placed a few live coals upon it, pour nitred water upon it, that it may free it from all its bitterness and paleness; then raise the mortar that all the moisture may be drained out of it; after this put white sharp vinegar to it and mix it thoroughly with the pestle and strain it: this liquor does exceeding well for pickling of turnips. But, if you would prepare mustard for the use of great entertainments, when you have squeezed all the noxious juice of it, add the freshest pine-[nuts] you can find, and almonds to it; and bruise them carefully together, and pour in vinegar upon them: do the other things, as I said above. When you come to use this mustard, it will not only be very fit for sauce, but very beautiful and pleasing to the eye; for it is of an exquisite whiteness, if it be made with care.

Palladius’s Recipe for Mustard

This is a recipe for a sweet mustard.

Original recipe: Senapis semen ad modam sextarii unius et semis redigere curabis in puluerem, cui mellis pondo quinque, olei hispani unam libram, aceti acris unum sextarium miscebis et tritis omnibus diligenter uteris.

Translation: Reduce a sexter and a half of mustard grain to powder; put in five pounds of honey, a pound of Spanish [olive] oil and a sexter of strong vinegar; when it has all been well pounded, you can use it.