From zingy horseradish to sweet cherry, Wisconsin mustard is a cut above the rest

Exhibits at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton - Photo courtesy of founder and curator Barry Levenson

Move over, Dijon — Wisconsin mustards are coming through!

Around the state, mustard makers show off unique flavors like root beer mustard from Sprecher and cherry mustard from Door County. And this year, three local mustards won awards at the international competition that is held every year in Middleton.

“Wisconsin is a hub for mustard makers,” said Barry Levenson, the founder, curator and “chief mustard officer” of the National Mustard Museum.

He believes Wisconsin punches above its weight in the mustard world, pointing to companies in the state like Koops’ Mustard in Pleasant Prairie, PS Seasoning in Iron Ridge and Wisconsin Spice in Berlin, one of the largest millers of mustard seed in the world. 

Located in Middleton, the museum has hosted the World-Wide Mustard Competition every year since 1995. This year, a panel of 50 judges ranked mustards from all over the world across more than a dozen categories, including American yellow, classic Dijon and honey.

“There are 18 categories because mustard is not at all a one-dimensional thing,” Levenson told “Wisconsin Today.”

Levenson said more than 250 mustards competed this year from countries around the world, including Argentina, Japan, India and Sweden. Chefs, food writers and mustard enthusiasts with refined palates judge the mustards each year.

“There are really three things that the judges look for,” Levenson explained. “How mustardy is it? Does it fit the category? And then just the yummy factor — is it delicious?”

Two Wisconsin mustard makers received awards this year. Stormin’ Sauce, a mustard-based barbecue sauce developed by former Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Gorman Thomas, won silver in the BBQ sauce category. And Silver Spring Foods in Eau Claire, the largest grower and producer of horseradish in the world, took home a silver medal in the horseradish/wasabi category for its Beer’n Brat. Last year, it won the gold. 

“I think Beer’n Brat is just legendary and a signature part of Silver Spring because of the horseradish,” said Samantha Bibbs, a food technologist at the company. “We have access to the horseradish that we grow and produce, so we get to use the freshest and best, which gives us that edge over the competition.”

This year, Silver Spring also clinched a silver medal in the herb/vegetable category for Dill Pickle, a yellow mustard with relish that is new to the company’s lineup. It was created and perfected by the “Zing Masters,” an in-house sensory panel at Silver Spring that Bibbs heads up. 

“I’m a big fan of just a classic yellow mustard. And then with the dill and the pickle — it’s just fun and trendy and summery,” Bibbs said. “I love it on a hamburger, and then you don’t have to grab the pickle jar from the fridge. It’s kind of an all-in-one, on-the-go type of mustard.”


Samantha Bibbs is a food technologist at Silver Spring Foods in Eau Claire, where she leads the in-house sensory panel called “Zing Masters.” Photo courtesy of Silver Spring Foods


Silver Spring Foods took home two silver medals in this year’s World-Wide Mustard Competition for Beer’n Brat, left, and Dill Pickle. Photos courtesy of Silver Spring Foods

Yellow vs. brown

What differentiates yellow and brown mustard comes down to the seed, Bibbs explained. There are three main kinds of mustard seeds: yellow, brown, and oriental. For most mustards, the base is made up of milled mustard seed, water, vinegar and salt.

Yellow mustard has a milder, briny flavor. Most yellow mustards get their color from turmeric, a flowering plant from the ginger family. Brown mustard has more of a punch to it and tends to be the base of spicy mustards. It contains allyl isothiocyanate, or AITC — a naturally occurring compound also found in horseradish. That’s what gives brown mustard its bold flavor and “nasal pungency,” Bibbs said.

“That’s why we do mustard, and are so good at mustard,” she said. “We like to think we’re experts in AITC.”

But beyond the horseradish of it all, Bibbs believes the secret ingredient to Silver Spring’s success is the people making the mustard.

“A lot of what makes our mustard so special and so good is the pride that goes into making our mustard,” she said. “It’s really quite the intensive process. There are a bunch of different mills that all have to be dialed in to the exact fineness to produce that consistent product. And the people who mill the mustard take a lot of pride in that, and they’re running around making sure everything is exactly how it should be. And it definitely pays off in our product.”


A horseradish plant. Silver Spring Foods is a subsidiary of Huntsinger Farms in Eau Claire, the largest grower and producer of horseradish in the world. Photo courtesy of Silver Spring Foods


Mustard mixing tanks at Silver Spring Foods in Eau Claire. Photos courtesy of Silver Spring Foods

Carrying on a slow-cooked mustard tradition in Hartland

There is another way to make mustard that’s a bit more old-fashioned: slow-cooked in small batches with eggs. That’s how Jeri Mesching makes her Sweet & Tangy mustard, the signature product at East Shore Specialty Foods in Hartland.

Mesching told “Wisconsin Today” that she first made a batch of this mustard in 1986 from a recipe on the back of a Colman’s Mustard tin and brought it to a Christmas boutique in Cedarburg.

“People liked the mustard so much I decided that it was worth looking at making it year-round and actually selling it,” she said.

And the rest, as they say, is history. That Sweet & Tangy mustard was the beginning of East Shore Specialty Foods, a family-owned business now run by Mesching’s daughter, Kristin Graves. Graves’ son, Alex, has taken on the role of mustard maker, while Mesching continues to help develop and taste-test new varieties.

“Each recipe is unique, which does not make it easy for those following in my footsteps,” she said with a laugh. 

Over the years, East Shore’s lineup has expanded to include several dipping mustards and fruit mustards like cherry and cranberry, with local ingredients sourced from Country Ovens in Door County. Because of the slow-cooking process with egg, the texture ends up a bit more “custard-like” and spreadable, Mesching said. She loves how versatile the mustards are in the kitchen.

“I do a lot of cooking with all of the mustards. The key lime makes a wonderful salad vinaigrette,” she said. “We call it the ‘perfect secret ingredient.’”

National Mustard Day coming up

Middleton is set to “paint the town yellow” for National Mustard Day on Aug. 2. The annual street festival is dedicated to the “king of condiments.” 

“It’s really a festival of mustard and a celebration of mustard, because mustard deserves it,” said Levenson, who runs the event. 

The festival includes mustard-themed activities and food, including a mustard ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe.

“I know it sounds weird … but the last three years, it has sold out because it’s that good,” Levenson said. “Raspberry honey mustard, chocolate flakes, what’s not to love?”


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