Oh merde! France’s mustard shortage fuels drama and panic in grocery stores

PARIS — It was the local egg delivery man who spread the spiciest gossip about the mustard shortage.

Someone in a small French town had found a way to buy two jars at the grocery store — despite the one-mustard cap imposed by many shops as the country faces a shortage of its beloved condiment.

“The audacity!” said Claire Dinhut, who heard about the local mustard scandal from the egg courier while at her family home south of Tours, in west-central France, as she shared the “town drama” in a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 600,000 times. How the mustard bandit did it: He left the store with one jar, and sneaked back in for a second by checking out with a different salesperson.

Mustard is a staple of most French diets — adding a kick to fries and sandwiches — and a key ingredient in iconic dishes like steak tartare. It’s also a source of national pride: The production of mustard was regulated in France as early as the Middle Ages, and the world-famous Dijon mustard comes from the Burgundy region. While historians say mustard wasn’t invented in France, many French people claim it as their own.

“This is a sauce that’s loved all over the world — and it’s ours,” Dinhut told The Post.

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