What is Senf?

Senf is simply the German word for mustard. If you have met it on a menu, in a recipe or on a jar in a German supermarket, it means the condiment you already know, though the range sitting behind that one word is a good deal wider than the British mustard shelf suggests.

In Britain, mustard usually means one of two things: the fierce yellow English kind, or a smooth French Dijon. German mustard spreads across a much broader band, from a sweet and malty mustard eaten with white sausage at breakfast through to a sinus clearing extra hot. Knowing which is which saves you buying the wrong jar for the dish you had in mind.

Common types of German Mustard

These are the kinds worth recognising:

• Süßer Senf, sweet mustard. Often written susser senf when the umlaut is dropped. Also known as Bavarian Mustard. 
• Mittelscharf, medium hot. The everyday table mustard, and the closest thing to a German default.
• Extra scharf, extra hot. Sharp and quick, closer to a hot English mustard in strength though different in flavour.

Sweet / Bavarian mustard, and what it goes with

Süßer Senf is the one that surprises British cooks most, because sweetness is not something the English mustard tradition offers. It is mild, aromatic and noticeably malty, and it belongs with Weißwurst, with pretzels, and alongside roast meats where its rounded flavour flatters the browned edges rather than fighting them.

This is the mustard to reach for if you are recreating a Bavarian breakfast, or if you want something that sits beside a sausage without overwhelming it. It feels familiar to anyone used to British mustard, only softer and sweeter.

Pro tip: The mild sweetness works quite well on sandwiches.

Medium hot, the everyday German mustard

Mittelscharf is what most German households keep in the fridge door. It is smooth, brightly tangy and carries a balanced heat that adds flavour without taking over the plate. It goes onto sausages and into sandwiches, and it is the style that works hardest in cooking: whisked into salad dressings, stirred through marinades and vinaigrettes, or spooned into dips.

Of the three styles this is the most versatile in cooking, and can be used for practically everything that involves mustard.

Extra hot, and the coarser styles

Extra scharf mustards are built for heat. They tend to be made from brown mustard seed with little or no sugar, so the sharpness arrives quickly and then clears, which is quite a different sensation from the lingering burn of a strong English mustard. They are eaten with Bratwurst, with Leberkäse and with cold cuts.

Hausmachersenf

Hausmachersenf sits slightly apart from the heat scale. The name describes the making rather than the strength, and the result is usually coarse and seedy, closer in texture to a wholegrain mustard than to the smooth table styles.

The German mustards we stock

Händlmaier, Thomy and Born cover three genuinely different jobs, and the differences between them are worth understanding before you choose.

Händlmaier is the sweet Bavarian one. Our Händlmaier Süßer Senf in the 335ml pack balances gentle mustard warmth against sweetness and a malty depth, and it is the jar to buy for Weißwurst, pretzels and roasts.

Thomy covers the medium hot ground with its Delikatess Senf in a 200ml pack. Smooth, tangy and balanced, it is the everyday style German kitchens keep on the table, and the controlled pack size suits a mustard you reach for often.

Born is the Thuringian bratwurst mustard, smooth and tangy with a slight spiciness, sold in a 1000ml pack for households that get through it. It is made for sausages and meats, and it holds its character when stirred into a dish as it cooks.

Where to find them

They sit together in the German mustard section of our condiments range, alongside the ketchups and sauces that tend to end up in the same basket.

If you are new to German mustard, start with the sweet Bavarian. It is the style with no British equivalent, and the one an unfamiliar German recipe is most often reaching for. Add the Thuringian bratwurst mustard when you want something for sausages and for stirring into cooking, and between them you have covered almost everything a German recipe is likely to ask of you.