Mustard ‘The King of the Condiment’ Day

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August 1 is celebrated as National Mustard Day. Mustard is one of the oldest spices and is used extensively all over the world.  It is believed that Mustard originated in Ancient Egypt and the Romans were the first to experiment with mustard preparation as a condiment, The ‘King of the Condiments’ - 

Mustard Plant

 The mustard plant is a herb and belongs to the family Brassicaceae. The main two species of mustard plants are the white or yellow mustard (Sinapis alba) and brown or Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). The plants are grown as annual crops and the dry seeds are harvested in early autumn. The plants grow very fast and the blooms are yellow in colour. The plants grow to a height of 5 to 7 feet and bear seedpods on their branches. The brown mustard seedpods contain about 20 seeds each and white contains about 8 seeds. 

The mustard grows on all types of soil and is very easy to grow the plant.  Mustard is made from the tiny seeds (white/yellow) of a mustard plant. The round seeds are cracked, crushed or ground, mixed with liquid to make a paste and then made into different kinds of mustard. Mustard seeds is the smallest seeds.

 Mustard Seeds Uses

The mustard oil is prepared from the pressed seeds and the leaves are eaten as mustard greens. Mustard oil is used for cooking and for medicinal purposes. The condiment is one of the popular spices in different cuisines. The Mustard flavours and colour varies and the taste ranges from sweet to spicy.  Mustard is a favourite condiment used in sandwiches, hamburgers, hotdogs, and for dressing sausages and salad dressings.  It is also widely used as an ingredient in soups, sauces, pickles, mayonnaise and marinades.

Health Benefits of Mustard Seeds

Mustard doesn’t have many health benefits, except that it is a low-calorie condiment.  The leaves contain calcium, copper and Vitamins A, C and K. Consuming large amounts of mustard seeds causes damage to the throat and all causes side effects such as breathing problems, heart failures, downiness and even death. Mustard is used to treating cold, asthma attacks, migraines, muscle pain, helps in digestion, lowers high blood sugar and other ailments.
 
In recognition of Mustard’s versatility, the first Saturday in August is celebrated as National Mustard Day. Located in Middleton, Wisconsin, the National Mustard Museum was founded in 1986 by Barry Levenson, and it was opened in 1992 for the public. The museum consists of 5600 prepared mustard from about 70 countries. The mustard museum was the sponsor of the National Museum Day in 1991, which recorded in raising funds, in thousands of dollars for local charities. Mustard the spice is one of the largest and popular condiments in the world trading.  The major producers of mustard seed in the world are Canada and Nepal. Mustard seeds with high oil contents are used in biodiesel production, which has good flow properties. 

 Mustard Plant Species

Mild White Mustard - Grows in North Africa, the Middle East, and Mediterranean Europe as wild plants.

Oriental Mustard - It is grown commercially in India, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Bangladesh and the United States. 

Black Mustard - Grown in Argentina, Chile, the US and some European countries.



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