Facts about Mustard

The Romans mixed them with vinegar, unfermented grape juice, and honey and introduced mustard manufacture into Dijon and other French regions, as well as England (Downey 2003).

By the turn of the twentieth century, an American, Francis French, made a milder version using white mustard seeds colored yellow with tumeric and mixed with vinegar to impart a tart taste (McNulty 2002).

The seeds are also pressed to make mustard oil, and the edible leaves can be eaten as mustard greens.

An interesting genetic relationship between many species of mustard has been observed, and is described as the Triangle of U.

Mustard seed is cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine.

Brassica is one of the genera to which mustard belongs.

There has been recent research into varieties of mustards that have a high oil content for use in the production of biodiesel, a renewable liquid fuel similar to diesel fuel.

B. juncea, known as brown or Indian (Oriental) mustard, is originally from the foothills of the Himalaya.

B. nigra, known as black mustard, is grown in Argentina, Chile, the U.S., and some European countries.

Sinapis is another genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae, one of whose species, Sinapis hirta or Sinapis alba is known as the white mustard or yellow mustard.

Mustards from Dijon today generally contain both white wine and burgundy wine, and most mustards marketed as Dijon style today contain one or both of these ingredients.

In 1390, the French government began to regulate its manufacture and 200 years later there were corporations to manufacture mustard founded at Dijon and Orleans (McNulty 2002).

Mustard has been called the third most important spice after salt and pepper (Downey 2003).

The use of mustard seeds for culinary purpose dates to prehistoric times (McNulty 2002).

The basic taste and "heat" of the mustard is largely determined by seed type, preparation, and ingredients (Trowbridge 2008).

Dijon mustard originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.

Mustard is most often used as a condiment on meat, especially cold meats.

Prepared mustard stored for a long period of time is prone to separation, causing mustard water.

Some variations have additives such as sun-dried tomato mustard and chili mustard.

A strong mustard can cause the eyes to water, burn the palate, and inflame the nasal passages.

Locations renowned for their mustard include Dijon (medium strength) and Meaux in France; Norwich (very hot) and Tewkesbury, famed for its variety, in the United Kingdom; and Dьsseldorf (hot) and Bavaria in Germany.

The three main plants associated with mustard are Sinapis hirta, Brassica juncea, and Brassica nigra.

The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards.

Bavarian "sweet mustard" contains very little acid, substituting copious amounts of sugar for preservation.

The leaves of the mustard plants, called mustard greens, are used as food.

Black mustard is sometimes placed in this genus of Sinapis as well, but is more often placed in the related genus Brassica.

Black seeded mustard is generally regarded as the hottest type.

Different flavors and strengths can be achieved by using different blends of mustard seed species.

Powdered mustard is simply a name for finely ground mustard seed (Herbst 2001).

Mustard, in its powdered form, lacks any potency; it is the production of the isothiocyanates from the reaction of myrosinase and the glucosinolates (sinigrin and sinalbin) that causes heat to be present.

The biodiesel made from mustard oil has good cold flow properties and cetane ratings.

The name mustard is said to trace from the mixture of crushed mustard seed (called sinapis) and "must" (unfermented grape juice), to form mustum ardens, or "burning must" (Herbst 2001; Downey 2003).

In wholegrain mustard, the seeds are not ground, but mixed whole with other ingredients.

Saad Zaghlul was popularly elected as prime minister of Egypt in 1924, and in 1936 the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty was concluded.

Mustard seeds are used in almost every dish, along with onions, curry leaves, sliced red chilies fried in hot oil.

Wild forms of mustard and its relatives the radish and turnip can be found over west Asia and Europe, suggesting that their domestication took place somewhere in that area.

Honey mustard, as the name suggests, is a blend of Dijon mustard and honey.

Sometimes prepared mustard is simmered to moderate its bite, sometimes it is aged.

Preparation also plays a key role in the final outcome of the mustard.

Dry mustard, typically sold in tins, is used in cooking and can be mixed with water to become prepared mustard.

The most basic form of honey mustard can be created by combining equal amounts of honey and mustard; however, most varieties incorporate other ingredients to add flavor, adjust texture, or change other properties.

Prepared mustard is generally sold in glass jars or plastic bottles.

The Spanish introduced the mustard to the Americas (Downey 2003).

The species of mustard belong to the flowering plant family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae), also known as the crucifers, the mustard family, or the cabbage family.

The husks may be ground with the seeds, or winnowed away after the initial crushing; "whole-grain mustard" retains some unground or partially ground mustard seeds.

The Romans most likely developed the prepared mustards known today.

Irish mustard is a wholegrain type blended with whiskey and or honey.

The yellow mustard releases a milder nonvolatile para-hydroxybenzyl isothiocynate, while seeds of the other two species release the strong, pungent, volatile allyl isothiocynate.

A strong mustard can cause the eyes to water, burn the palate, and inflame the nasal passages.

Today, Canada grows 85 percent to 90 percent of all the mustard seed for the international market (McNulty 2002; SMDC 2008).