What is Mustard
In the kitchen, the term mustard refers to the seeds of some plants belonging to the Brassica genus. These seeds can be used as a spice (crushed or crushed), or as a base for a typical semi-liquid dressing, called mustard sauce .
Mustard seeds are also one of the main ingredients of mustard, a traditional North Italian product aimed at accompanying boiled meat.
WARNING! Please note that the terms "mustard sauce" and "mustard" do NOT indicate the same food. Mustard is obtained by mixing mustard seed flour (or their essence) with a mix of fruit in syrup (improper term), water and sugar, while mustard sauces are obtained by mixing mustard seed flour with vinegar, salt and possibly sugar and spices to taste (such as cloves, white pepper, turmeric and nutmeg). Whole mustard seeds can also be found in some pickles and preserves.
Chemical composition
The culinary interest is mainly focused on two botanical species of mustard, black mustard (binomial nomenclature: Brassica nigra ) and white mustard (binomial nomenclature: Brassica alba ).
In mustard berries, active ingredients abound which give a spicy taste, responsible for the characteristic taste and smell. These are glucosinolates (or thioglucosides), which are glucosides formed by a sugary part that binds to the aglycon through a sulfur atom. By enzymatic hydrolysis (myrosinase) these substances release isothiocyanates, molecules with rubefacient, revulsive, tear, antioxidant and blistering action. In white mustard, in particular, we find the sinalbina, while in the black must abound the sinigrin ; the latter, by hydrolysis, originates isothiocyanate (or isozolfocyanate), which stands out for its spicier taste compared to p-hydroxybenzyl isothiocyanate (released by the hydrolysis of sinalbine). For this reason, white mustard tastes less spicy than black mustard.
In whole seeds, the hydrolysis of thioglucosides does not occur because the enzymes involved are found in cellular elements different from those in which isothiocyanates are present; for this reason, the crushing of fresh seeds guarantees a better aroma than mustard flour.
Phytotherapy aspects
Beyond the culinary popularity, mustard is also used (albeit limited) in phytotherapy. For external use, the rubefacient properties are exploited (useful in the presence of neuralgia, rheumatism and muscular pain), while for internal use it is used as an emetic agent (at high doses induces vomiting) and digestive (stimulates gastric secretions); in the past, the poultices were heavily exploited in the presence of catarrhous cough.
As anticipated, the use of mustard for local applications can be irritating and blistering, to the point of producing real skin lesions. Obviously, if these are already present, the application is completely discouraged; similar speech in the presence of vascular disorders.
Mustard Sauce
In summary, mustard sauce is a condiment made from mustard seeds ( nigra or alba ). It appears to be partially liquid, denser than ketchup and less compact than packaged mayonnaise. The appearance is characteristic yellow (between gold, green, gray and beige), so much so that there is a color called "mustard".
Those available on the market can be stored for a long time, thanks to the nature of the ingredients that compose them and to the presence of food additives; in parallel, the homemade mustard sauce (see Alice's video recipe: Mustard Sauce) tends to oxidize more quickly but, in any case, it is not a substrate easily attacked by bacteria. Suffice it to say that, like other spices, mustard seeds have a certain conservative power.
There are various types of mustard sauce, different for the relationship between ingredients and spices. This balance changes both according to the brand, and according to the type (sweet mustard, spicy mustard, etc.).
Mustard sauce is used as a sauce or as a condiment for fast food, as an accompaniment to fresh meat (raw and cooked, such as tartare or fillets in sauté), to cover roasts and to formulate more complex sauces. It is rarely used in fish-based recipes (for its very strong taste), but often accompanies the preparation of hard-boiled eggs and, among the side dishes, goes well with boiled potatoes (see the recipe for mustard potato salad), fried or roasted.
The recipe for preparing mustard sauce is quite simple. As anticipated, the ingredients can vary significantly; however, in general they are: mustard seeds, vinegar, sugar, salt, water and spices (in the recipe of our "personalcoocker" we find: curry, curcuma, nutmeg, ginger, sweet paprika). The procedure is equally simple: mix all the spices and mix them finely, hydrate the powder with water and vinegar to the right consistency, then mix again.
WARNING! Packaged mustard is often used for its strong emulsifying power. This is mainly due to particular mucilages present in mustard seeds, which effectively perform this function. In practice, adding this homemade mustard you can get a result quite similar to that found on the shelves.
How to make homemade mustard sauce
Mustard Sauce
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeNutritional aspects
The nutritional characteristics of mustard are different when it comes to: seeds, packaged sauce and home-made. The table below shows the summary tables referring to the first two products, in order to highlight the most significant chemical differences.
As you can see, mustard seeds are very caloric foods and this is due to the very low concentration of water. The energy comes mainly from lipids, which have a breakdown of fatty acids in favor of unsaturated (especially monounsaturated); however, even the quantities of proteins (medium biological value) and carbohydrates (mainly complex) contribute greatly to the total caloric intake.
The fibers are very abundant and cholesterol is absent.
Potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus are contained in more than satisfactory percentages, as are vitamins E, B1, B2 and PP.
As for the mustard sauce, being rich in water and containing other ingredients, it does not boast the same chemical characteristics and has a decidedly more diluted nutritional fraction. The only noteworthy observation concerns the sodium, which in mustard sauce is contained in rather high quantities, therefore potentially harmful for the balance of arterial pressure.
| Yellow Seed Mustard | Ready Yellow Mustard | ||||
 | |||||
| Edible part | 100% | 100% | |||
| water | 6.86g | 82.65g | |||
| Protein | 24.94g | 4.37g | |||
| Prevailing amino acids | - | - | |||
| Limiting amino acid | - | - | |||
| Lipids TOT | 28.76g | 4.01g | |||
| Saturated fatty acids | 1.46g | 0.25g | |||
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 19.83g | 2.63g | |||
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 5.39g | 0.95g | |||
| Cholesterol | 0.0mg | 0.0mg | |||
| TOT Carbohydrates | 34.94g | 5.33g | |||
| Starch | 28.15g | 4.47g | |||
| Soluble sugars | 6.79g | 0.86g | |||
| Ethyl alcohol | 0.0g | 0.0g | |||
| Dietary fiber | 14.70g | 3.3g | |||
| Soluble fiber | - g | - g | |||
| Insoluble fiber | - g | - g | |||
| Power | 469.0kcal | 67.0cal | |||
| Sodium | 5.0mg | 1135.0mg | |||
| Potassium | 682.0mg | 138.0mg | |||
| Iron | 9.98mg | 1.51mg | |||
| Football | 521.0mg | 58.0mg | |||
| Phosphorus | 841.0mg | 106.0mg | |||
| Thiamine | 0.54mg | 0.34mg | |||
| Riboflavin | 0.38mg | 0.03mg | |||
| Niacin | 7.89mg | 0.52mg | |||
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 3.0μg | 4.0μg | |||
| C vitamin | 3.0mg | 1.50mg | |||
| Vitamin E | 2.89mg | 0.36mg | |||
Mustard plants
The plants that produce mustard seeds are various and belong to different species. This means that, in truth, the term "mustard" represents a lexical simplification and totally ignores the botanical nature of the plants in question.
These are herbaceous plants belonging to the Brassicaceae family and the Brassica genus, but which show themselves to be quite different in terms of their overall appearance, the shape and color of the seeds, as well as the organoleptic characteristics of the latter.
Black mustard or B. nigra is large. The first finds that document its use place it mainly near the area surrounding Egypt, of which it appears to be native. It produces small, black berries with a strong and decisive taste. In contrast, B. alba is of modest size; typical of the Mediterranean basin, today it is also widespread in the American continent. It has large, yellow and little spicy seeds; it is called white mustard in Europe or yellow mustard in the USA.
There are also other Mustard species but which have a rather limited commercial interest; among these, botanical crossings or unprofitable wild qualities are highlighted.
