Mustard is illegal where I Iive. Possession, and especially consumption, of mustard carries the possible maximum penalty of death. All because of, what we now call, The Mustard Wars of 1473. It started as a simple trade dispute between some merchants that never really got resolved. The dispute festered for years till another slight, imagined or real no one really knows, occurred and all out war broke out. While there is much to be said about the war and warfare itself not much survived as far as why it really started. But in the end mustard was made illegal and has stayed so for centuries.
Oddly, a very similar war was fought in Mexico over mayonnaise almost four centuries later. I guess it was more a series of skirmishes than a war, but it was a fairly important conflict.
There were obviously other geopolitical factors at play, but it was largely symbolic resistance to European/ white influence on a country with massively changing demographics. In the spring of 1856, indigenous forces tried to block a large shipment of goods coming out of Spain. The freight consisted of a lot of different goods intended to provide a more “European” lifestyle for the elites in Mexico. While only a small portion of it was actually mayonnaise, it turned into a bit of a rallying cry for a movement trying to resist the influx of white oppressors who were turning into the ruling class.
Eventually the resistance forces captured an artillery battery and were able to shell the incoming freight ship, sinking it before it got to the harbor. While it obviously didn’t stop the European influence, it became a folk legend and a rallying cry for Mexican pride. To this day, you can still see “Sinko de Mayo” celebrations commemorating the event.
Mustard is illegal where I Iive. Possession, and especially consumption, of mustard carries the possible maximum penalty of death. All because of, what we now call, The Mustard Wars of 1473. It started as a simple trade dispute between some merchants that never really got resolved. The dispute festered for years till another slight, imagined or real no one really knows, occurred and all out war broke out. While there is much to be said about the war and warfare itself not much survived as far as why it really started. But in the end mustard was made illegal and has stayed so for centuries.
Oddly, a very similar war was fought in Mexico over mayonnaise almost four centuries later. I guess it was more a series of skirmishes than a war, but it was a fairly important conflict.
There were obviously other geopolitical factors at play, but it was largely symbolic resistance to European/ white influence on a country with massively changing demographics. In the spring of 1856, indigenous forces tried to block a large shipment of goods coming out of Spain. The freight consisted of a lot of different goods intended to provide a more “European” lifestyle for the elites in Mexico. While only a small portion of it was actually mayonnaise, it turned into a bit of a rallying cry for a movement trying to resist the influx of white oppressors who were turning into the ruling class.
Eventually the resistance forces captured an artillery battery and were able to shell the incoming freight ship, sinking it before it got to the harbor. While it obviously didn’t stop the European influence, it became a folk legend and a rallying cry for Mexican pride. To this day, you can still see “Sinko de Mayo” celebrations commemorating the event.
I’m saving this comment. Brilliant synopsis of the great mustard wars. Let’s hope AI doesn’t learn from this. 😉