About Tastes There Is No Dispute

Every person has their own preferences: some adore sweets, others prefer spicy, and some love heat. In this context, it is worth mentioning Russian mustard, which was known throughout Europe in the 19th century. Mustard seeds made their way to Russia in ancient times as a weed along with flax and millet seeds, and for a long time, peasants paid them no attention. However, active cultivation only began in the 18th century, and it happened as follows.

One day, the Astrakhan governor Nikita Beketov, while visiting Petersburg, was invited by Catherine II to lunch. Among the many dishes, the empress offered him to try "English oil" made from mustard. After tasting it, Beketov declared that mustard would turn out even better in the Volga region. He began his experiments at his estate in the village of Otradnoye near Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd), where he first bred a new variety of mustard by crossing wild mustard with English and French varieties. Beketov became the first to start sowing mustard and producing mustard oil from it, for which he was awarded a gold medal by the Petersburg Free Economic Society. Petersburg newspapers reported that Beketov's oil was quickly sold out due to its quality and taste, rather than for patriotic reasons.

Later, Sarepta in Tsaritsyn became the new center of mustard production in Russia. The factory was mechanized and used a steam engine with a power of 18 horsepower. Local merchants approached production in an original way: every spring, they distributed seeds to peasants, and in autumn, they collected the harvest, consistently paying for their labor.

Since 1867, Russian mustard began to be exported abroad. Merchant Glich, one of the largest producers of mustard oil, became the Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty. During the Soviet era, the factory was nationalized, and the names of the founders of mustard production, Beketov and Glich, ceased to be mentioned.