Paris — Mustard is deep in French culture. “My blood is boiling” is expressed in French as “la moutarde me monte au nez” or “mustard is on my nose”. As Bastille Day testifies, when it happens in France, its consequences can be devastating. ..
The mysterious disappearance of mustards from supermarket shelves, not a rebellion, when France celebrated its most important national holiday on Thursday in commemoration of the 1789 attack on Bastille prison that caused the French Revolution. Also, at least caused deep anxiety.
Deprived of seasonings that give steak frit an edge, bring grilled sausages to life, add depth to vinaigrette, and add richness to mayonnaise, France is quietly hunting for alternatives. Horseradish, wasabi, Worcestershire sauce, as well as Roquefort and Shallot creams are all emerging candidates.
Poor candidate, it must be said. The problem is that Dijon mustard is both essential and irreplaceable. Unique quality butter and cream may be more important for French cuisine, but many rugged sauces die dry without mustard. In Lyon, the idea of a visceral sausage or andouillette without mustard sauce is as unthinkable as a wine-deficient cheese.
Another problem is that Dijon mustard is mainly composed of ingredients that do not come from its beautiful capital of the Burgundy region. A Worst climate change situationDue to the European war, Covid’s supply problems and rising costs, French producers are short of mustard, the brown seeds that make mustard.
Most of these brown seeds (at least 80%, according to Luc Vandermaesen, director of Reine de Dijon’s leading mustard maker and chairman of the Burgundy Mustard Association) come from Canada. Scientists said the heat waves in Alberta and Saskatchewan were “Virtually impossibleWithout global warming, seed production was reduced by 50% last year, while rising temperatures had a major impact on small-scale harvests in Burgundy.
“The main problem is climate change, which results in this shortage,” Vander Maesen said in an interview. “We couldn’t take orders and retail prices have risen by 25%, reflecting soaring seeds.”
His company currently receives at least 50 calls a day from people looking for mustard. There was no such call before the mustard disappeared. Desperately seeking mustard, people even come to Dijon’s headquarters (not retail). Carrefour, a major French and international hypermarket chain, has been forced to deny that rumors of stockpiling mustard to raise prices are rampant on Twitter. Chefs like Pierre Grangelar in Brittany have relied on online appeal for spare mustard that everyone may have.
In most stores, the mustard shelves are already empty. Where there is a mustard, there is also a sign saying “Limited to 1 pot per person”. Retailer Intermarché apologizes for the inconvenience, but on another sign on the shelf, the “Drought in Canada” and the “Conflict with Russia” in Ukraine created a mustard “penalty”. I explain that.
For the French who are proud of mustard, the idea that it is rarely a completely local product and often depends on the type of multinational supply chain destroyed by the pandemic was also shocking. rice field.
The war in Ukraine is doing something even more complicated. Russia and Ukraine are both large producers of mustard seeds, but generally not brown seeds. Mustard greens, Used in the classic Dijon mustard. Predominantly yellow seeds produced in the two war-torn countries are popular in countries that prefer milder seasonings, such as Germany and Hungary.
“Pressure on the mustard market is generally increasing, pushing up prices,” as the yellow mustard seeds are victims of war and are pushing countries that rely on looking for other types of mustard. Said Vander Maesen.
France consumes about £ 2.2 a year of mustard per resident, making it the largest consumer in the world. There are signs that a shortage is imminent in other countries, including Germany, but France’s mustard crisis is unique in that it is heavily dependent on Canada for its seeds.
Of course, there are opportunities in the crisis. Paul-Olivier Claudepierre, co-owner of Martin-Pouret, a fully French mustard and vinegar supplier, said the moment of “relocalizing production” came to Lemond every day.
“We grow seeds to be harvested thousands of kilometers away, transport them to ports, transport them across the ocean in containers, and convert them at home,” he said. “It costs a lot, and what a big carbon fee!”
Vandermaesen said Burgundy has embarked on a collaborative effort to increase production, even if it is not comparable to “the very large production areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan.” One of the problems facing Burgundy producers is that the European Union has banned pesticides that have long been used to fight black flea beetles.
For now, France seems to have to learn to live without mustard. French Queen Marie Antoinette at the time of the revolution is famous for commenting “let me eat cake” about a peasant who is hungry without bread. (It’s another matter if she really did it before she was hit by the guillotine in 1793.)
President Emmanuel Macron should avoid “feeding wasabi”.