7,000 Jars and One Broken Heart: Mustard Museum’s Surprising Story

If your favorite sports team breaks your heart, do you grumble? Cry? And eventually move on? 

Most of us do – except for Barry Levenson.

This “Slice of Wisconsin” starts when the Boston Red Sox lost the World Series in 1986. Levenson is a former Assistant Attorney General for Wisconsin and ended up doing something really unexpected.

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Listen to this “Slice of Wisconsin” here:

“I was so depressed,” he explains. “It was 2:30 in the morning and I was wandering around the grocery store when I heard a voice near the mustard aisle say, ‘If you collect us, they will come.’”

He did, and people have been coming to see his amazing mustard collection ever since.  

Levenson opened the National Mustard Museum in 1992. It’s now located in Middleton, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison where it’s become a sprawling, spicy tribute to the beloved condiment. Levenson boasts the museum features more than 7,000 different jars and bottles of mustard from all around the globe. There’s also a tasting bar where you can sample everything from garlic to fruit-infused mustards.

I decided to dive into the popularity of mustard after a recent Brewers game. Brats were just $2.50 until the first pitch, and people were gobbling ‘em up. Yet, almost every condiment stand was out of mustard, while the ketchup appeared to be untouched. Prior to this particular game day experience, I may have wondered why someone would open a mustard museum. But after it – and a conversation with Levenson and his pun-loving team – the better question is why wouldn’t you?

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Listen here as Teri visits Matenaer on Air to ask: Mustard or Ketchup?

Here’s the thing about the only mustard museum in the world. You don’t only get the opportunity to celebrate the many flavors of mustard, but also learn about its long history. 

• Mustard seeds date back to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. 

• The French invented Dijon in the 13th century.

• And today, the Worldwide Mustard Competition includes 19 different categories, because — as Barry says — “mustard is not one-dimensional.”

There’s even an unofficial fight song for Poupon U, the tongue-in-cheek mustard college. One verse proudly declares:
“Never mayo, never ketchup. They’re against the rules!”

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Listen to an interview with Barry and hear the “Fight Song” here:

If you still need convincing, just check Reddit. A recent “Only in Wisconsin” debate on brats, ends with people who use ketchup being told they need to “ketch-up” to using mustard.

So the people’s champion? Obviously, mustard. 

The museum is a nonprofit organization, open every day, and is free to visit. And you’ll always find something new.

“We’ve had mustard soda,” Levenson admits. “It was awful. But at least we tried it!”

You can plan your visit or explore the world of mustard from the comfort of your couch by checking out the website: mustardmuseum.com