Mechelen Mustard

Spice up your meal with Mechelen artisanal beer mustard

Mustard is classically made with mustard seed, vinegar, water and salt. But in our Mechelen Mustard you will find another seasoning, a real local product: Gouden Carolus from Het Anker Brewery. This collaboration between mustard makers and breweries was very common back in the Renaissance.

Mustard: seasoning for the rich and poor

At the beginning of the 16th century, everyday folk and the elite used mustard as a seasoning in their food. During excavations in Mechelen in one of the old cesspools, archaeologists found together with mustard seeds, a beautiful 16th-century Italian faience mustard jar that adorned the table of the chic inns on the IJzerenleen. 500 years later, that product still exists, and now with a Mechelen spin.

Ruben Van de Voorde: ‘The story of Mechelen Mustard begins in 2023. Together with a few friends, we regularly brainstorm new business ideas. On one of those evenings, the idea for a new regional product arose: Mechelen Mustard. Mmm ... Mechelen speeded up that process. Chef at Graspoort Thibault Van Stratum and entrepreneur Jens Ysenbaert came aboard and the rest is history.’

Mustard with Golden Carolus

To make the Mechelen Mustard typical of Mechelen, the mustard makers replace part of the water with Gouden Carolus Tripel. This collaboration with Het Anker is just the beginning. Ruben Van de Voorde: ‘The Dutch have their typical, sweet mustard, the French are known for their spicy, sharp mustard. We wanted a combination of those two. We are now starting with one type of mustard based on the Gouden Carolus Tripel. In a later phase, there will also be a sweeter mustard, made with Boscoli, the fruity beer from Het Anker, and a third variety with the Gouden Carolus Classic.’

‘The collaboration between mustard makers and breweries was very common in the Renaissance. Because with the remains of the beer-making process, you could make vinegar. So the mustard makers set up close to the brewers. What I like about the Mmm ... Mechelen project is that it has generated new partnerships between Mechelen tastemakers.’

 

Jeroen Van Vaerenbergh, The Food Archaeologist

A small village with big stories

Ruben Van de Voorde: ‘My first tip: try to get a table at Graspoort. Chef Thibault will take you on a culinary journey around the world. Surprising, fantastically tasty and refined. A treat for all the senses! And my second tip when you visit Mechelen is: be sure to stroll through the Zennegat. It’s a small, super cozy village with an inn, a view of the houseboats and lots of great stories.’