Raye’s Mustard
In the United States, mustard is often paired with ketchup on a hot dog or hamburger, but over the millennia, it has served as more than just a condiment. Among other uses, it has a long history of being paired with fish for its flavoring and its preservative qualities. It was a perfect fit for a once-robust industry in Maine.
As the nineteenth century became the twentieth, Maine’s sardine industry was booming. J. Wesley Raye, the 20-year-old son of a sea captain, made note that in his hometown of Eastport alone there were about two dozen canneries. In 1900, he began grinding mustard seeds in his family’s smokehouse. Three years later, he moved operations to its longtime home in downtown Eastport, where Raye’s Mustard remains today.
The 126-year-old mill is still owned and operated by the Raye family – the fourth generation of Rayes – and is described as the last traditional stone-ground mustard mill in North America. Using the mill’s original equipment, including grindstones imported from France, whole mustard seeds are cold-ground into small batches of traditional mustard and specialty flavors.
Though Maine’s sardine canneries eventually disappeared, Raye’s has endured as a specialty food producer. Visitors today can tour the distinctive red-and-yellow working museum and watch how a centuries-old processing technique helps to preserve the mustard’s sharpness and flavor.
