Mustard

I had a pretend ham and mustard bagel for lunch today. I'd used a newly opened jar of Colmans English Mustard to make my bagel, and I was surprised by the spicy-hot strength of the mustard in my sandwich. Then I remembered that new mustard is always stronger than mustard from a jar that's been open a bit.

I've been trying to understand the science of this dramatic change in mustard strength. The only conclusion I can reach is that there's some kind of food spoilage going on. It has to be that spicy-hot mustard seed particles are degrading over time, and that possibly bacteria in the air, or else photosynthesis is responsible for this loss of hot-mustard flavour? I didn't really know, I only got a 'C' for GSCE Science.

I didn't like the thought, as I munched my bagel. Even though my mustard bagel was very tasty I was concerned that by next week I would be eating a pretend ham and mustard bagel with inferior, and even spoiled, mustard.

I was confused, because I was fairly sure that Colman's English Mustard had a very long shelf life. I suspected my mustard jar would have a 'best before' of late 2007, perhaps even 2008? But something was happening to my mustard, changing its flavour, well before the date of 'so called' best-ness.

I suppose you could argue that people might prefer the milder taste of a few-weeks-open jar of mustard? Even if it is (scientifically speaking) slightly rotten and spoiled. But I thought that Colmans should at least have a 'Less Hot by' date on the jar. Of course they could still have their, 'Best Before December 2007' but alongside this they should also have a notification someting like, 'Less hot after 2 weeks opened.' They could reassure people with 'But it never goes mouldy' even though the mustard seed particles were clearly degrading to make the taste change.

Fascinating stuff... And if you like the strong flavour of newly opened mustard then I'd suggest you adopt a plan of finding a local cafe and stealing individual sachets of mustard. Then you can always have mustard as hot and fresh as the day it was opened.

But if you like the milder mustard flavour of slightly spolied mustard seed particles? Well, then you should buy the very biggest jar that you can find of Colmans English Mustard. After a few months it won't taste very mustardy at all, but it will still be bright yellow and look like mustard. And don't worry, it won't go mouldy.

Unless... (New theory!) Perhaps the yellow of the mustard seed particles is simply dying mould so you can't see it? Perhaps the mustard taste is so strong it takes a while for the mustard taste to be overcome by the de-strengthening mouldy spores (less 'hot') flavour. Or else it is something to do with photosynthesis..?

I'd Google, but I'm too busy eating my lunch.