Mature Flâneur

Dijon: Much More than Mustard

We owe so much to the Dukes of Burgundy

So many mustard types for sale in a Dijon mustard store. All photos by Tim Ward

Dijon is regarded as the mustard capital of the world, and indeed, the city has records from 1336 that describe guests consuming 320 litres (70 gallons) of mustard creme in a single sitting at a gala held by Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Yet, to focus on the condiment that makes Dijon world renowned would be like writing about the city of Frankfurt and describing only their hot dogs, visiting China and only discussing their porcelain dishes, or insisting in Copenhagen that the only Danish worth mentioning are the sweet pastries.

A mustard field in bloom in the south of Burgundy. Actually most of the region’s mustard is grown and processed here, then sent north to Dijon.

Dijon, therefore, is much more than its mustard…though I must confess my beloved wife Teresa and I visited more than one mustard specialty shop in the city. We tasted their wares, and bought nine different flavors!

But, what really captured us was the grandeur of this tidy little city of 180,000 souls. We had not expected to see so many medieval cathedrals and half-timbered houses with glittering tiled roofs, nor to find in the center of town the grand palace of the proud and prosperous Dukes of Burgundy who ruled independently for…