Mustard tasting is maybe something that many of you didn’t even know existed. Well, it does and it’s a culinary experience that you will remember fondly. At LissEllas in Dalarna, they take their mustard seriously. We got a great opportunity to meet the mastermind Olle Bengtsson who knows his mustard. It ended up being a great tasting and a great learning experience for us. Join our tasting and get to know more about how you are supposed to use mustard.

Mustard tasting in Sweden

We have all heard of tastings. Whether it’s wine, beer, or chocolate, we know about tastings and we might be interested in joining one. However, how many of you have heard of mustard tasting? Well, now you know and the best part is that it’s something that can be arranged at LissEllas in Garpenberg, Dalarna. It’s super special, super fun, and super interesting. Olle Bengtsson knows his mustard and he’s willing to share his knowledge.

At LissEllas, they grow their own mustard seeds ecologically. Before they used to make their own honey too but unfortunately, Olle got allergic to bee stings so now they buy their honey from other places. We had a special visit to LissEllas and you will hear all about it. We can say that we are forever completely changed when it comes to Mustard – now we know what’s good and what’s not.

A short history of LissEllas

When LissElla was a little girl, she started experimenting with flavors. Pretty soon she discovered that there wasn’t any good tasting mustard at the Christmas table. So she came up with the idea to create her own. You might say that the rest is history! After creating the best mustard for Christmas, she continued with new flavors and brought a new way of thinking to mustard.

Today, LissEllas has become a well-known brand in the mustard industry. Their products have grown from single mustard to 30 different mustards (a lot of them with flavors), 3 dressings and, 7 sauces – all based on mustard. And the funny thing is that they all taste different. It doesn’t get “same same” after a while. No, each product has its unique taste and texture and they are all awesome!

World winning mustard

Yes, there is a world championship in mustard. Where? In the US of course. When LissElla and Olle heard of that, they entered the competition and they ended up winning. That was in 2008. Today they have more than 40 medals and they win with their mustard each year. If that isn’t proof of great mustard, we don’t know what is!

The world championship is made as a blind test so no one knows who has provided the mustard. LissEllas keep bringing the medals home each year and the reason for that is that their product is that good. I don’t think that there’s another mustard company in Sweden that comes even close to the same amount of medals. They have both gold, silver, and bronze medals on several of their mustards – how awesome is that?!

Our encounter with LissEllas Mustard

The first time we came in contact with LissEllas mustard was during our press trip to Dalarna. We were in Kloster, Sweden, and preparing our dinner in nature in kloster and husbyringen. We were supposed to put mustard among the potatoes and swing it around. We had never heard of the combination of potatoes and mustard before and were skeptical at first. And when I took the warm potatoes, I noticed the gold medal on the mustard bottle.

That got me excited about the mustard. It was strong and sweet mustard and it worked well with the potatoes. In fact, the mustard was so good that I googled LissEllas and searched where we could buy it. If you are in Dalarna, you can buy it in almost every gift shop and in many grocery stores. Best of all, you can order the mustard online on their website too. No need to look for a physical store.

What do you use mustard for?

Mini and I always used mustard on hotdogs and for Swedish sausage (Falukorv) that you make in the oven. And that was what we knew about mustard. The fact is that you can use mustard for literary everything. It is a spice that enhances meals and even deserts. You can use mustard on everything. For example, they have a curry mustard dressing. Not only is it perfect for salads. Mix some of the dressing with creme fraiche and you have the best dip ever!

Mustard is known to bring out the characteristics of other ingredients. Since LissEllas have so many different flavors, there’s something for each occasion. And the combinations are so interesting. They even have mustard with a taste of chocolate. One with blueberry and another one with licorice and lavender. The coolest thing is that you can really taste all the different flavors in the mustard.

Mustard Tasting at LissEllas

Several times a year, Olle arranges mustard tastings at his factory. You go to Garpenberg and meet up with Olle. The tasting takes about two hours and, not only will you taste several different mustards but you will also learn more about how you can use mustard in your own cooking. This is not a boring lecture in mustard. No, this is a culinary experience that will make you want to improve in the kitchen.

A tasting includes trying out about 10 different mustards, dressing, and sauces. Some of them, you try as they are and some of them are paired with different foods and snacks. The whole mustard tasting is so much fun. The most impressive thing is that you can taste all the different flavors. For example, the licorice and lavender flavor taste like just that – mustard, and then the licorice comes and it’s taken over by the lavender taste. The perfection of every single mustard might be the reason why some flavors take years to complete.

Online mustard tasting

This is a new thing and is yet to be launched. This will be an option for people who want to have a mustard tasting but who can’t drive to Dalarna to have it. A package will be sent to your house with different mustards and then you will prepare the tasting for your family or friends. The time and date are selected and when the tasting is about to start, Olle joins you through some form of a webinar.

You do the same tasting as you would at LissEllas but it’s made in the comfort of your own home. You still get the same interesting stories and tips about the mustard and it is all happening in real life. This is not a pre-recorded video of Olle – no, he will join the tasting via the web and explain everything you need to know to have the best tasting ever. As soon as this is live and kicking, we will update this post with the information.

Create your own tasting

If you don’t want to wait for the online mustard tastings to start. No worries – we have the solution for you! Check out their webshop and pick several different mustards. We recommend that you take some with the “exotic” tastes like blueberry or their Indian Style one. You can try the mustard “as is” or you can create some different dishes and use the mustard in your cooking.

Our tip is to also boil some potatoes and swing them with LissEllas mustard (preferably the strong and sweet one). Since their mustard is more expensive than the “regular” one, you can split the cost among your friends for the tasting. Share what’s left of the mustard after the tasting. No mustard tasting would be complete without a Swedish special “Dalamacka” – a crispbread sandwich with sausage made out of horse meat. Here is a super easy recipe to use.

Recipe for the best Dalamacka

• Kulinariet – Crispbread from Skedvi. If you don’t have access to their crispbread, you can get another brand.
• Gustavskorv – a sort of sausage that is made out of horse meat. Worst case, take some salted ham or salami.
• LissEllas mustard – strong and sweet.
• Butter.

Spread the butter on the crispbread and slice the “Gustavskorv”. Place the sausage on the crispbread and add the mustard on top of the sandwich. Enjoy!

Our tasting at LissEllas

During our visit to LissEllas, we got to meet Olle, and boy are we glad that we did! He’s an amazing person who truly loves what he does and takes great pride in his work as a mustard maker. Not only did we get to try their products (and yes – we tried every single one of them). We also learned all about how we can make our cooking better with the help of mustard. At first, we started the mustard tasting by sampling the mustard “as is”.

After trying a few of them out, we continued the sampling with several different add-ons. What surprised us the most was the different tastes that all the mustards had. We tried several different whiskey-mustards and they all tasted unique. You might think that whiskey mustard tastes the same but no! In fact, they are all completely different. Another thing was that I was sure that the chocolate mustard was to be used for desserts. Now I know better – it’s great with baked potatoes and vegetables.

Olle Bengtsson knows his mustard

Olle knows what he’s doing and what he’s talking about. We ended up spending closer to six hours together – just tasting and talking. He also gave us several different tips for other places that we could visit during our stay in Dalarna. He is involved in the community and I believe that he’s well-known in Garpenberg. He’s humble and kind and a delight to listen to. After spending time together, we feel like he has become a friend.

The experience of the mustard tasting is incredible and something that we really enjoyed. We can recommend this to everyone and we also recommend to try their products. Think outside the box and when ordering – order at least one mustard that you would probably not buy. We are sure that you will love it. My sister doesn’t even like mustard and she didn’t want to try them once we brought them home. We almost had to force her and in the end, she liked them all and was pleasantly surprised. LissEllas mustard is here to stay and we urge you to check them out!

Information about LissEllas

Address: Guldleden 1, Garpenberg, Dalarna, Sweden.
Website of LissEllas and their webshop.