People Are Putting Mustard On Watermelon—Is It Actually Delicious?

If there's one thing you can count on, it's TikTok regularly bestowing a fascinating new food trend upon the world. In recent years, the social app has been virally overtaken by melting potatoes, feta pasta (we leveled it up with pimento cheese), and "perfect" quesadillas (our version was fried, of course), but a craze involving a certain summer fruit might just take the cake.

Mustard As Watermelon Topping

The hot trend is to top watermelon with yellow mustard, and the response is nothing but curious, with the hashtag #watermelonmustard seeing nearly 50 million views. This flavor profile even inspired Lizzo to do a taste test on TikTok (spoiler alert: she was more perplexed than pleased). While the pairing may seem quite odd, if we inspect the flavor profile of the mash-up, it might not be completely flawed.

Truly, a savory approach to watermelon is not unheard of, and mustard's sweet vinegar tartness atop our favorite summer fruit is simply another way to enjoy the season. We are thinking that perhaps a "baby step" approach might be best. Yes, those photos with squiggled mustard gracing the watermelon are unexpected and pretty, but really you will want to use just a bit of mustard at a time to understand if you like this pairing.

Watermelon's Broad Appeal

You probably know that Southerners love sprinkling salt on watermelon, because the salt enhances the melon's sweetness and cuts its sometimes-bitter kick. Further proof of sweet and savory as a winning combination are this delicious watermelon and feta salad and watermelon with tajin.

Yellow mustard's ingredient list includes distilled vinegar, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, and garlic powder, giving it a tart and tangy flavor profile that excels at livening up burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and salad dressings. This flavor profile does have its appeal when drizzled o watermelon, with descriptions like "it's the stepsister of salty-sweet."

TikTok user and watermelon-mustard trend originator Young Yuh breaks it down, “I love mustard – specifically French’s,” trend creator Young says. “In middle school, the lunch sets used to have watermelon slices, and the school also provided those small packets of ketchup and mustard. I was bored one day (as a kid usually is) and I put ketchup on the watermelon. It was too sweet, so I then tried the mustard and that tang was perfect!”

Tasting The Trend: Mustard & Watermelon

To find out what the fuss is about, we put the trend to the test. The result: Similar to Lizzo, we were a bit perplexed and needed to take several bites of the strange combination to come to a conclusion. One tester said "I'm glad I tried it, but it won't be my go-to." Another gave it a "fair" rating, but said the mustard didn't particularly enhance the watermelon and preferred her watermelon solo.

This combo definitely doesn't appeal to all palates, but believe it or not, watermelon does possess culinary depth. It can be blended to make a drink, the fruit can be used in a marinade, watermelon tastes great on the grill, and the rind can be pickled! There is more beyond that, and we will leave it to your fruit-loving brain to untangle the watermelon possibilities.

Watermelon Suggestions To Satisfy

Instead of slathering mustard on top of fresh watermelon, we might suggest a fresh summer salad topped with watermelon chunks and a light drizzle of vinaigrette that happens to include a bit of mustard. This option is a safe and universally palette-pleasing way to go. We've got some other suggestions for using watermelon that will pique your culinary curiosity!

Watermelon Braised Pork Shoulder Steaks

This unexpected watermelon dish is a delicious alternative to ribs and other pork roasts. Pork shoulder steaks are braised in a blend of miso, Sambal sauce, mirin, and watermelons. The result is sweet, savory, and definitely worth multiple attempts in order to perfect the treatment.

Watermelon-Ginger Mojitos

Watermelon, spearmint, lime, and ginger combine and result in this refreshing pitcher drink. Ginger beer is responsible for the spice kick, and bubbly effect, but you can substitute ginger ale if you prefer something milder. The mint-based simple syrup can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites

Simple ingredients brighten the palate when you present this simple appetizer recipe to grateful guests. Refreshing and tangy, the combo of goat cheese with watermelon is enhanced with a sprig of basil or other herb (mint, for instance), and the result is delightful. Consider these easy bites to be a part of your summer barbecue, guests or not.