The origins of mustard are lost to history, but it is a Northern Hemisphere plant, the seeds of which have been found in Stone Age settlements. Egyptians tossed the seeds onto their food and sent King Tut to the great beyond with a supply in his tomb. The Sumerians ground it into a paste and mixed it with verjus, the juice of unriped grapes. Wealthy Romans ground it and mixed it with wine at the table. Cultivated for thousands of years, mustard was the primary spice known to Europeans before the advent of the Asian spice trade: Westerners had mustard long before pepper, which originated in India. Once trade routes were established, ancient people from India to Egypt to Rome chewed mustard seeds with their meat for seasoning. Our word mustard comes from the Middle English mustarde, meaning condiment. ~ There are about 40 species of mustard plants. The ones used to make the commercial mustard products are the black, brown and white mustard. White mustard, which originated in the Mediterranean basin, is what largely ends up as bright yellow hot dog mustard; brown mustard, which originated in the Himalayas, is the basic Chinese restaurant mustard served in America and the basis for most American and European mustards; and black mustard is popular in the Middle East and Asia Minor, where it originated (it needs to be hand-harvested, so isn’t used much in the West). The mustard plant is in the same family as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard and kale. ~ The condiment is made from the tiny seeds of the plant, which do not become pungent until they are cracked and mixed with a liquid. It is sold in powder form or already mixed as a paste (when it is properl
y called prepared mustard). All parts of the mustard plant are edible: The leaves of the plant, known as mustard greens, are delicious in salads when they are young and tender. Older leaves with stems may be eaten fresh as a vegetable. Mustard greens are often cooked with ham or salt pork, and are used in soups and stews. The mustard seeds are also used to make an aromatic oil, and the flowers can be enjoyed as edible decorations. ~ Not only tasty, the mustard plant also has significant health benefits. Mustard seeds contain nutrients called isothiocyanates that have been shown to prevent the growth of cancer cells, particularly with regards to stomach and colon cancer. The seeds also contain selenium, which reduces the severity of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, and magnesium, which may reduce high blood pressure and the frequency of migraines.
Mustard seeds (top left) may be ground (top right) to make different kinds of mustard. The other four mustards pictured are a simple table mustard with tumeric coloring (center left), a Bavarian sweet mustard (center right), a Dijon mustard (lower left), and a coarse French mustard made mainly from black mustard seeds (lower right). ~ So you see that simple container of mustard is more complicated than you might think. ~ Chef ~
The origins of mustard are lost to history, but it is a Northern Hemisphere plant, the seeds of which have been found in Stone Age settlements. Egyptians tossed the seeds onto their food and sent King Tut to the great beyond with a supply in his tomb. The Sumerians ground it into a paste and mixed it with verjus, the juice of unriped grapes. Wealthy Romans ground it and mixed it with wine at the table. Cultivated for thousands of years, mustard was the primary spice known to Europeans before the advent of the Asian spice trade: Westerners had mustard long before pepper, which originated in India. Once trade routes were established, ancient people from India to Egypt to Rome chewed mustard seeds with their meat for seasoning. Our word mustard comes from the Middle English mustarde, meaning condiment. ~ There are about 40 species of mustard plants. The ones used to make the commercial mustard products are the black, brown and white mustard. White mustard, which originated in the Mediterranean basin, is what largely ends up as bright yellow hot dog mustard; brown mustard, which originated in the Himalayas, is the basic Chinese restaurant mustard served in America and the basis for most American and European mustards; and black mustard is popular in the Middle East and Asia Minor, where it originated (it needs to be hand-harvested, so isn’t used much in the West). The mustard plant is in the same family as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard and kale. ~ The condiment is made from the tiny seeds of the plant, which do not become pungent until they are cracked and mixed with a liquid. It is sold in powder form or already mixed as a paste (when it is properl
y called prepared mustard). All parts of the mustard plant are edible: The leaves of the plant, known as mustard greens, are delicious in salads when they are young and tender. Older leaves with stems may be eaten fresh as a vegetable. Mustard greens are often cooked with ham or salt pork, and are used in soups and stews. The mustard seeds are also used to make an aromatic oil, and the flowers can be enjoyed as edible decorations. ~ Not only tasty, the mustard plant also has significant health benefits. Mustard seeds contain nutrients called isothiocyanates that have been shown to prevent the growth of cancer cells, particularly with regards to stomach and colon cancer. The seeds also contain selenium, which reduces the severity of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, and magnesium, which may reduce high blood pressure and the frequency of migraines.
