Mustard seeds are sold whole, ground into powder or processed further into prepared mustard around the world.
Mustard seeds can have either a pleasantly nutty taste or pungent, hot flavor.
Prepared mustard is commonly used as a condiment, and mustard seed and powder are increasingly being used in cooking and in processed and prepackaged foods as seasoning or flavoring agent, emulsifier and water binding agent for texture control.
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| Indian mustard |
The most common mustard seeds used in cooking and food processing are white (yellow mustard), brown (oriental mustard), and black (black mustard).
The familiar, yellow ‘hot dog’ mustard is made of white mustard. Brown mustard is used in the ‘gourmet’ mustards of Europe, such as Dijon.
Brown mustard is often ground very coarsely and the mustard sauce may be made with or without the husks still mixed with the crushed seeds.
Today, mustard is grown mostly for use in condiments or cooking oils, though mustard greens are a necessary ingredient in what is now called soul food and are a very good source of vitamin C.
The uses of mustard seed
