Yep, you read right. Sure, I know everyone is familiar with the 'ice cream headache'; the brain-numbing pain in the front of your forehead when you eat ice cream too fast (incidentally, I've found that it can be relieved a bit quicker by trying to warm the roof of your mouth with your tongue). But, how many of you have had a 'mustard headache'? Raise my hand.
So, what is a mustard headache? A mustard headache is caused by eating very hot mustard (such as strong Dijon). While also being very painful, the difference is that it affects a different part of the head. When I get one, it causes a painful burning sensation in a small area in the back right top of my head (it feels like my brain is burning!).
What I find most strange is the localization of the pain. With an ice cream headache, you can understand the pain in the forehead as resulting from a sudden coldness in a part of the body nearby (the roof of the mouth). However, with a mustard headache, why is the pain so far from the mouth? If anyone happens to know that answer, I really appreciate them sharing (I'm a scientist, so you don't need to skimp on the details).
In addition, I'd be interested in hearing of anyone else who has mustard headaches. Honestly, I'm not sure if the mustard varies strong by region, whether its an age related effect, or something else. I never experienced this when I lived in Canada and only since having strong Dijon bought in Germany or Italy have I had the mustard headaches.
EH Rydberg
I get them too, but not necessarily from strong mustard. I'm fifteen, in very good health and physical condition, and just started noticing them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I eat sauces/dips with mustard powder in them (as opposed to your typical hot dog mustard from a bottle), or smell mustard powder, I get a burning, light-headed, light-sensitive headache in the top of my head for hours afterward.
No idea why.
I have experienced one some time back. But today I experienced one which was extremely painful. I had a sudden pain just come over me in my head and at the back of my head. I actually had to stop and hold my head. At the end my head still hurt and my eyes even started to water. I felt like my head was burning.
ReplyDeleteI am 30 and I had dijon mustard in a sandwich. I am in London.
Ithink the headache accours when you exhale through your nose, whilst eating/swallowing it. I LOVE this pain, and i eat alot of mustard to get it. it is far stronger if i exhale softly through my nose while i swallow/chew on a big blob.. of mustard...
ReplyDeleteI also love the result of eating chinese hot mustard but the dijon mustard is just not hot enough I can drink that stuff and not get the same result. I buy my mustard powder at an oriental grocery store and make it up myself and after a few days it gets stonger.
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ReplyDeletealso love the result of eating chinese hot mustard but the dijon mustard is just not hot enough I can drink that stuff and not get the same result. I buy my mustard powder at an oriental grocery store and make it up myself and after a few days it gets stonger.
DeleteI had this headache happen to me and I've never had that with mustard before. I had Dijon mustard in a wrap and the front and back part of my head really stung. I am just recovering from a concussion from an accident so I think my head is really sensitive but it was SO weird. I stopped eating for about a minute. It was like a brain freeze accept it was a mustard freeze. Really strange.. Someone should do a research project on this - would be a great topic.
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DeleteUnknownJanuary 14, 2021 at 3:57 PM
I also love the result of eating chinese hot mustard but the dijon mustard is just not hot enough I can drink that stuff and not get the same result. I buy my mustard powder at an oriental grocery store and make it up myself and after a few days it gets stonger.
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I experienced this one's at a Culver's Restaurant while eating honey mustard. However I just experienced it again and it was intense. I am eating at a Chinese restaurant today and try the yellow mustard which is very spicy. It immediately shot peeing to a very localized part of the top of my head which felt like it was burning. So I immediately googled this to see. I am still at the restaurant so I will test some theories about inhaling while eating it. I will take a few bites with my nose plugged and a few bites without my nose plugged and see if there's a difference. I will report back to you
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that I'm not the only one with this issue. I thought I was going crazy or it was sheer coincidence. Culprit: Dijon Mustard causing me sever migraines. Reading thru the comments it occurred to me that Chinese restaurant mustard does the same exact thing. :/
ReplyDeleteI also sometimes get a very sharp stinging pain at the top front of my head when eating hot mustard such as Dijon or English mustard. Bizarrely I get the exact same pain when inhaling Beconase Nasal spray I'm using for rhinitis, and on the odd occasion that I've slid fast down a very steep water slide such as at a theme park.very weird, if I say so myself. The pain is so sharp (but thankfully short lived) that I find it quite frightening at the time. I'm in Suffolk in the UK,female,now in my 50s, with no particular headache or other poor medical history.
ReplyDeleteI just dipped pretzels in about half a bottle of honey dijon mustard and I think I'm gonna die. The headache is intense! I googled to see if mustard caused the pain and this string came up, so I can safely conclude it was the mustard. I'm just lucky it's bedtime now. Hopefully this pain will be gone by morning.
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DeleteUnknownJanuary 14, 2021 at 3:57 PM
I also love the result of eating chinese hot mustard but the dijon mustard is just not hot enough I can drink that stuff and not get the same result. I buy my mustard powder at an oriental grocery store and make it up myself and after a few days it gets stonger.
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I think I found an answer (this happened to me today with some Dijon mustard. Has happened before but not like today. And kept happening after the 2nd and 3rd try!)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chowhound.com/food-news/54544/why-do-horseradish-and-wasabi-burn-your-sinuses/
thanks
DeleteIt happens to me every time when I eat mustart sauce. I have no trouble when I eat, mustard seeds or even oil. I get really strong headache when I eat mustard sauce. Maybe it phycological that we don't like it. I would like to know why this headache.
ReplyDeletei went to dexter bbq today with my family and i had a burger with musturd on it and it gave me a mingrane headache
ReplyDeleteHad Chinese food and went crazy with the hot mustard. The pain was intense. Did I stop? Nope. I've had a headache behind my eye ever since. I rarely get headaches. I finally googled it. Damn. That's crazy!!
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ReplyDeleteUnknownJanuary 14, 2021 at 3:57 PM
I also love the result of eating chinese hot mustard but the dijon mustard is just not hot enough I can drink that stuff and not get the same result. I buy my mustard powder at an oriental grocery store and make it up myself and after a few days it gets stonger.
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The pain doesn't usually last for more than a few seconds.
ReplyDeleteHappend to me as well. I had Coleman's Hot Mustard sauce and I got such a horrible stinging sensation at the back of my head. I thought I was going to die. Never had that sauce again!
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