For Over 100 Years, This Ballpark Mustard Has Been A Beloved Staple In Cleveland

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Nothing goes better with baseball than a stadium hot dog, and for the citizens of Cleveland, it's gotta have one very particular topping: Bertman Original Ball Park Mustard. The condiment has long been intertwined with the Forest City's baseball culture for more than a century. Tangy, bold, and brown, the sauce is considered as essential to the ballpark experience as hot dogs and beer by many locals.

The story of this beloved mustard begins with Joseph "Joe" Bertman, a Polish immigrant who landed in Cleveland in the early 20th century. Bertman's first foray into the food business wasn't mustard, but pickles, establishing a business at the tender age of 19. Known locally as the "Pickle King" or "Pickle Man," he followed that up with a wholesale food business, supplying stores, institutions, and, yes, ballparks, with products he sourced from around the world. But Bertman's most important innovation was his homemade mustard, created from his own secret formula.  

The ingredients for his Ball Park mustard are deceptively simple: distilled vinegar, #1 mustard seed, sugar, salt, and spices. Compared to the standard yellow mustard, it's more Bavarian-style, with mellower and sweeter flavors. The legend goes that League Park, once home to the now-named Cleveland Guardians, approached Bertman for a specialty food product. Growing up, he noticed at baseball games that only yellow mustard was offered, so he knew just what to make. Even today, "ballpark mustard," as locals call it, is the official mustard of the Cleveland Guardians. In 2025, the team debuted its newest mascot, "Spicy Mustard," as an homage.

It wouldn't be sports if there weren't a rivalry, and one of Cleveland's most passionate food feuds involves the famous mustard. In 1970, an employee named David Dwoskin worked as a wholesale distributor of the mustard, before splitting off to create his own version, calling it the "Authentic Stadium Mustard." The mustard wars waged on for a few years, but it seems a compromise was reached: while Ball Park got the baseball team, Stadium got football, as the only mustard served at the Browns' home field. 

Locals are split over which mustard is best, but let it be known that celebrity chef Michael Symon uses Ball Park mustard in his barbecue sauce at his restaurant, Mabel's BBQ. During a cooking demo on "The Rachael Ray show," Symon showed off the sauce, leading Ray to proclaim: "Bertman is the best mustard on the planet, I don't care where you're from, you should order a case." Hot dogs are so important to Clevelanders that they have not one, but four hot dog mascots for their MLB team. Along with the aforementioned Spicy, there's also a Ketchup, Mustard, and Onion. 

Today, Ball Park mustard has expanded way beyond the baseball stadium, and though it's largely found in Northeast Ohio grocery stores, you can also buy yourself a bottle on Amazon. Just like New York has its buffalo sauce and New England has its marshmallow fluff, Ball Park is one of America's favorite regional condiments.