French mustard sommelier travels to prairies 'spreading the love' of the yellow paste

To some its a tasty, tangy add to a hotdog, but to one man, mustard is a delicacy that is so often overlooked and underrated, perhaps even misunderstood.

HarryLalousisis amustard sommelieryes, you read that right a connoisseurof the yellow paste yielded from mustard seeds.

"A sommelier means someone who holds the knowledge, so I hold the knowledge for mustard," Lalousistold CBC Calgary'sThe Homestretch.

Lalousis works for Maille, based in France,but relishes the chance to visit Canada, especially southern Alberta,because the Canadian Prairies region istheworld's largest exporter of mustard seeds.

Canada's mustard seeds represent in about 90per cent of the global supply, Lalousissaid.

He says he's here "spreading the love for mustard."

An accidental career path

Lalousisended up in his role quite by accidentat first, he said. It began when he becameintrigued by the number of "amazing" mustard flavours, then by the time he started making his own recipes to bring out specific tasteshe'd accumulated so much knowledge about mustard.

"When I was introduced to the different flavours, I was really, really inspired," he said.

From four core kinds of mustard Lalousisis now working with 38 differentflavours.

"Mustard sounds mundane, but once they try my mustard, they really get what I'm on about and how they can intensify flavours."

With files from CBC'sThe Homestretch