Why is mustard hot? Free online English lesson

50-minute English Lesson

In this free online English lesson about food, learn why some mustard is hot and some is not.

Free online listening lessons about food
Mustard adds flavour to food

Read the story

Mustard

Mustard is one of the world’s great condiments. People eat it on hamburgers, hot dogs, and salads. Some mustard is mellow, and some is flamethrower hot.

Mustard is very old. Two thousand years ago, Romans ate it at dinner tables. Around the year 800, they brought it to Europe during their conquests.

By the 1300s, Dijon was the center of mustard production. Today, that French city is still famous for its speciality mustard.

Mustard is made from ground mustard plant seeds. Its unique spicy character comes from a combination of two main ingredients: the seeds and liquid.

There are three kinds of seeds. The yellow ones create a gentle taste. Brown seeds yield a medium-hot food experience.

Black seeds produce an intense heat, the kind that can burn your tongue.

Mustard mixed with white wine or vinegar is comparatively tame. Water gives mustard its pungent taste. The hottest ones are made with cold water. Hot water destroys some of the oils that produce heat.

Around the globe, there are four basic types of mustard.

Yellow mustard has a creamy appearance and rather bland taste. Famous for a shiny lemon color, it’s a standard fixture at family picnics and baseball games.

Honey mustard provides a nice balance between sweet and tang. It’s wonderful on ham sandwiches.

Brimming with robust flavors, Dijon is commonly served in high-quality sandwich restaurants. Made with a high concentration of brown or black seeds and white wine, it has a rough texture and a sharp aroma that will tickle your nose.

There are several blistering hot varieties. In England, people buy the powdered version in a can and add water at home. In Japan and China, mustard paste is sold in tubes. It’s so seriously hot, the toughest men are brought to tears after one bite.

Listen without reading

Free Online English Lesson

Audio

Here is the listening file for this lesson.

Listening level: 5
Audio file: 2:19 min
Story length: 300 words
active listening lessons
Mustard on a hot dog
[quiz-cat id=”6999″]

English listening lesson: Gap Fill

Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks.

Mustard is one of the world’s great _________ . People eat it on hamburgers, hot dogs, and _________ . Some mustard is mellow, and some is flamethrower hot.

Mustard is very old. Two _________ years ago, Romans ate it at dinner tables. Around the year 800, they _________ ____ to Europe during their conquests.

By the 1300s, Dijon was the center of mustard _________ . Today, that French city is still famous for its speciality mustard.

Mustard is made from _________ mustard plant seeds. Its unique spicy _________ comes from a combination of two main ingredients: the seeds and _________ .

There are three kinds of seeds. The yellow ones create a _________ taste. Brown seeds yield a medium-hot food _________ .

Black seeds produce an _________ heat, the kind that can burn your tongue.

Mustard mixed with white wine or vinegar is comparatively _________ . Water gives mustard its pungent taste. The hottest ones are made with cold water. Hot water _________ some of the oils that produce heat.

Around the _________ , there are four basic types of mustard.

Yellow mustard has a _________ appearance and rather bland taste. Famous for a shiny lemon color, it’s a standard fixture at family picnics and _________ games.

Honey mustard provides a nice balance between _________ and tang. It’s wonderful on ham sandwiches.

Brimming with _________ flavors, Dijon is commonly served in high-quality sandwich restaurants. Made with a high _________ of brown or black seeds and white wine, it has a _________ texture and a sharp aroma that will _________ your nose.

There are several blistering hot _________ . In England, people buy the powdered _________ in a can and add water at home. In Japan and China, mustard _________ is sold in tubes. It’s so seriously hot, the toughest men are _________ ______ tears after one bite.

ESL discussion questions

Talk about the esl story.

  1. What kind of listening story is this?
  2. What is a condiment?
  3. Do you like eating food with mustard? What’s your favorite?
  4. What makes mustard hot?
  5. Describe the four classes of mustard.
  6. Which countries have the hottest mustard?

Synonym match

MATCH THE WORD OR PHRASE ON THE LEFT WITH THE CORRECT SYNONYM.

1. spicy
2. gentle
3. creamy
4. tang
5. aroma
a. smooth
b. sharp
c. zest
d. moderate
e. smell

ESL listening activity: anagrams

MOVE THE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM THE ESL LISTENING STORY.

  1. LMWLEO
  2. NIEUUQ
  3. IDQLUI
  4. NNIEEST
  5. UPNETGN
  6. TATICNEORNOCN

Writing practice

Write the five sentences. Put the words in the correct order.

  1. an / the / seeds / heat / intense / burn / kind / Black / your / that / produce / can / tongue
  2. for / shiny / standard / color / picnics / family / games / at / lemon / fixture / and / a / baseball / a / it’s / Famous
  3. mellow / is / and / Some / is / hot / some / flamethrower / mustard
  4. people / version / can / in / England / home / buy / a / the / add / water / powdered / In / at / and
  5. Mustard / plant / from / seeds / made / ground / mustard / is

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Reading and taking notes

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