Includes:

• Certificate of Authenticity
• National Geographic's Civil War Gold DVD
• Rosewood Display Stand
• Bottles From the Deep book

Bottle Height: 12 cm

Mustard has been a widely cultivated plant around the world for centuries. Its origins date back at least 3,000 years to Ancient Egypt. The Romans used it as a condiment and seasoning as well as for medicine. They carried the seed to Gaul, and by the 9th century, French monasteries were making a profit selling mustard preparations. Mustard was believed to cure sundry ailments including hysteria, snakebites, and even the bubonic plague. Mustard has also been used therapeutically to relieve sore muscles and for bouts of congestion.

When the SS Republic sank, mustard was an indispensable enhancement to the 19thcentury diet. It was often used to disguise the taste of meat and other foods turned rancid from lack of refrigeration. Mustard added a zesty flavor to egg dishes, salads, casseroles, and vegetables. The sizeable cargo of glass mustard barrels recovered from the shipwreck – among the largest quantity by type, numbering well over 250 – is proof that this pungent condiment was a sought-after staple and would surely have been valued in post–Civil War New Orleans. The clear-glass mustard barrels traveling aboard the  Republic all feature a similar ribbed pattern. The jars may have once held either dry or prepared mustard, both of which were sold in these distinctive containers.