Hot dog! Visiting the National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin

I strode into Wisconsin’s National Mustard Museum with a mission: to sample and stock up on the good stuff.

The aroma of warm pretzels awaiting the perfect dip and shelves brimming with jars of golden goodness hinted at what was in store. It was enough to make a mustard lover swoon.

My obsession with mustard — specifically Sweet & Nicely Hot — began when a friend gave me a jar after she visited the museum. I dipped salty pretzels into the spicy, honeyed mix; I slathered it on grilled salmon and added it to leafy greens. After scraping the bottom of the jar, I called the museum and ordered a case of six.

I was curious about the place where my favorite new staple originated, especially since the woman who took my order was giddy to talk mustard and recipes (think mustard spice cake).

At last, I had arrived at this mustard mecca.

“We have a lot of fun with mustard,” said Barry Levenson, CMO (Chief Mustard Officer) and founder of the Mustard Museum. “Because mustard is a lot of fun!”

Levenson greeted my group of four one October afternoon. Before we hit the tasting bar, this mustard connoisseur gave us a tour of the museum, located below the gift shop. He shared his background and rhapsodized about his favorite condiment.

“I eat mustard on everything,” he declared. “Doughnuts, popcorn, pretzels. I’ll even have a martini made with mustard liqueur.”

Anyone who spends time with Levenson should be prepared for a joyous, joke-filled testament to his love of mustard.

“How do you get a mustard stain out of clothing?” he quizzed. “Scissors! But here, that stain is a badge of honor.”

Levenson is the first to admit he has the gift of gab.

He also has the gift of smarts. Levenson was assistant attorney general for the state of Wisconsin, but left his job to found the museum, which opened in 1992. He explained that he began to collect mustard after his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, lost the World Series in 1986.

“I wandered grocery store aisles, looking for the meaning of life,” Levenson added, with a touch of drama. “Actually, it was therapy for me at the time.”

The former government employee says he found meaning in mustard and hasn’t looked back.

Last year marked three decades since the museum opened. Since then, the museum has welcomed nearly one million visitors and is one of Wisconsin’s most popular tourist spots. With more than 6,000 mustards, the museum is home to the world’s largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia.

The museum houses a collection of antique mustard pots and 500 vintage mustard tins. It’s home to the world’s only mustard vending machine; a Col. Mustard card from the game Clue; and a poster of the “Mustard Lisa,” a rendition of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” with Levenson’s face and smile imposed.

“Our goal is to entertain and educate,” Levenson said, and then asked, “Did you know mustard is good for you?

“Before there were antibiotics and aspirin, there was mustard. That’s what doctors in the early days carried in their bag,” he said, adding that mustard is high in protein and low in calories.

After the tour, we lined up at the Ultimate Tasting Bar for morsels of mustard in all arrays: American, deli, honey, grainy, veggie, garlic, and fruity. A staff member dispensed warm pretzels to enhance the tangy, spicy or spirited flavors. I sampled a lager beer mustard and one with truffle; the grand finale was the dill and garlic.

Between tastes, I browsed the piles of yellow-hued merchandise, including mustard measuring spoons, Peace, Love, Mustard hoodies, and a What the World Needs Now is Mustard, Sweet Mustard T-shirt. The “Please Pass the Mustard” board game is a crowd-pleaser.

The store’s beer mustard is the top-selling brand in t Wisconsin, which comes as no surprise considering the massive beer culture in the suds-loving state. Coming in second is my personal favorite, the Sweet & Nicely Hot.

More fun facts: Mustard relieves stress, and the English bathed in it to soak away tension and fatigue. American yellow mustard gets its color from turmeric, and it’s the most popular hot dog condiment.

How does Levenson enjoy indulging in his favorite hobby and condiment?

“I love going to a baseball game and holding up that dog with bright yellow mustard against a deep blue sky,” he said.

He believes yellow mustard gets a bad rap. To prove his support, the museum features a life-size plastic replica of French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, a popular backdrop for photo ops.

Every year on the first Saturday in August, fans flock to Middleton (where the museum is located just minutes from Madison) for National Mustard Day to dance in the streets, play mustard games, and devour pretzels and brats doused with the condiment of the day. On this day, mustard rules.

To the delight of Chicagoans, who are renowned for their extreme dislike of that other condiment, the town becomes a ketchup-free zone.

At the museum and gift shop, merriment manifests itself every day.

Poupon U, described as America’s Mustard College, is one of the zany things to love about the Mustard Museum. The day I was there, Levenson passed out song sheets and led our group in a rousing rendition of the Poupon U Fight Song. Here are the words:

On our hot dogs, on our bratwurst, mustard is so cool.

Never mayo, never ketchup. They’re against the rules.

Gleaming gold and mellow yellow, smooth, rough, sweet and hot.

Fight, POUPON U, we’ll fight and eat some lunch.

A brochure the museum produces lists advanced degrees in Mustardology. It reads, “May we suggest a Ph.D. (Philosopher of Dijon)? Or perhaps a D.D.S. (Doctor of Diddley Squat)?”

The annual World Wide Mustard Competition garners entries from mustard-makers around the world who send samples of their prized creations. Levenson gathers judges to rate the entries and crown gold medal winners, one of which is named grand champion.

One reviewer, Rob Gard, with Destination Madison, revealed his unwavering commitment to the golden condiment. Hours after he got engaged in 2021, he rushed off to judge the mustard competition. The aficionado is passionate about mustard and takes his role as a mustard judge seriously.

“Fortunately, my bride-to-be is also a fan,” he said, smiling.

Gard said he keeps dozens of jars of mustard at home. He and his fiancee bring out their favorites to pair with cheeses and meats, when they entertain.

As we wrapped up our visit, I debated just how much product and mustardy paraphernalia I could cram into my luggage. I settled on eight jars of varying zests; a notched spoon designed to rest on the side of a jar; and an apron with the words Mustard Happens.

I left the shop clutching my bag of riches and beaming. Mustard mission accomplished. Hot dog!

The Mustard Museum is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission and tastings are free. Middleton borders Madison and is a 2 ½-hour drive from Chicago. According to the museum’s brochure, the museum is located a “mere 6,978 kilometers from Dijon, France.” Find out more at mustardmuseum.com.

Sherry Spitsnaugle is a freelance writer.