The mustard plant is any one of several plant species in the genera Brassica, Rhamphospermum and Sinapis in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family). Mustard seed is used as a spice. Grinding and mixing the seeds with water, vinegar, or other liquids creates the yellow condiment known as prepared mustard. The seeds can also be pressed to make mustard oil, and the edible leaves can be eaten as Brassica juncea. Many vegetables are cultivated varieties of mustard plants; domestication may have begun 6,000 years ago.[Warnock, Barton H. (1977) "Wildflowers of the Davis Mountains and the Marathon Basin, Texas", p. 111]
History
Although some varieties of mustard plants were well-established crops in
Hellenistic and
Roman Empire times,
Archaeology records for any of these crops are not reported. Wild forms of mustard and its relatives, the
radish and
turnip, can be found throughout West Asia and Europe, suggesting their
domestication took place somewhere in that area.
The
Encyclopædia Britannica states that mustard was grown by the Indus Civilization of 2500–1700 BC.
According to the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission, "Some of the earliest known documentation of mustard's use dates back to
and Sanskrit texts from 3000 BC".
["What is Mustard?". Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission. Mustard Consumer Website. SMDC 2011. Web. 16 March 2016 <>.]
A 2021 genetic study of B. rapa concluded that the species may have been domesticated as long as 6,000 years ago in Central Asia, and turnips or oilseeds might have been the first product. The results also suggested that a taxonomic re-evaluation of the species might be needed.
Species
White mustard (
Sinapis alba) grows wild in
North Africa,
West Asia, and
Mediterranean Europe, and has spread further by long cultivation; brown mustard (
Brassica juncea), initially from the foothills of the Himalayas, is grown commercially in India, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Bangladesh
and the United States; black mustard (
Brassica nigra) is grown in Argentina, Chile, the US, and some European countries. Canada and Nepal are the world's major producers of mustard seed, between them accounting for around 57% of world production in 2010.
White mustard is commonly used as a
cover crop in Europe (between UK and Ukraine). Many varieties exist, e.g., in Germany
[BSL Getreide 2015 getreide 2015.pdf www.bundessortenamt.de/bsa/media/Files/BSL/bsl_getreide_2015.pdf] and the Netherlands,
mostly differing in lateness of flowering and resistance against white beet-cyst nematode (
Heterodera schachtii). Farmers prefer late-flowering varieties, which do not produce seeds; they may become weeds in the subsequent year. Early vigor is important to cover the soil quickly and suppress weeds and protect the soil against erosion. In rotations with
sugar beets, suppression of the white beet-cyst nematode is an important trait. Resistant white mustard varieties reduce nematode populations by 70–90%.
Mustard species are a common host plant to Phaedon cochleariae, a beetle native to Europe.
Species in another Brassicacea genus, Sisymbrium, are also commonly referred to as mustards, and their seeds and leaves are used for culinary purposes.
Gallery
See also
External links
