Many say it’s not as sharp and vinegary as other yellow mustards. I recently performed a taste test, comparing French’s classic yellow mustard to a store brand yellow mustard (Whole Foods’ 365 brand).
I concluded that, at least to my palate, they were very similar. When you taste a small spoonful, both start with a sharp, vinegary note, ending with a slightly bitter mustard seed note.
On the other hand, if you taste Dijon mustard, you’ll see that it’s smooth, velvety, and surprisingly delicious on its own! Not that I expect you to eat it by the spoonful, of course. But taste it, and you’ll see what I mean. It has a great flavor!
If you look at the ingredient list, you’ll see that, indeed, the first ingredient in yellow mustard is vinegar, followed by water, mustard seed, salt, and spices.
In Dijon mustard, mustard seed is typically the second ingredient after water, and vinegar appears third on the list of ingredients. This explains the lack of vinegary taste. Mustard Seed is the star of the show here!
