Mustard - homemade with a mustard ball (senapskula)

Many families in southern Sweden have a tradition of self grind their mustard for Christmas.

The mustard is mainly used in the sauce that you have to lutefish / lutfisk / stockfish. It is also common to have it in the sauce for boiled cod. 

To grind the mustard you need an iron ball (sometimes called a mustard ball or a cannon ball).

In our family we have several mustard balls. The one we use the most is from the 1940s. A mustard ball is an important property and you have to care for it tenderly. 

You also need a round bowl. In the bowl you pour brown mustard seed.

Then you let the ball rotate in the bowl in which it crushes the seeds. When the seeds are crushed just enough you pour in some water and continue to grind.

Now a strong scent of mustard rises from the bowl and your eyes fill with tears. The mustard is complete. 

When the grinding is completed you scrape up the mustard from the bowl and put it in a nice jar. This can be set on the dining table when to eat.

The mustard is added to a white béchamel sauce. This can be done already when making the sauce in a pan, but it is also possible to add the mustard when you have poured the sauce on the plate. Then you have the ability to customize the strength. If you take too much mustard you can expect that it slams into the back of the head.

Here, the sauce with added mustard, is served with boiled cod, boiled potatoes and carrots.