White mustard (''Sinapis alba'') is an annual plant of the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The l ...

. It is sometimes also referred to as ''Brassica alba'' or ''B. hirta''. Grown for its seeds, used to make the condiment

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

, as fodder crop, or as a

green manure In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically produced to be incorporated into the soil while still green. Typically, the green manure's biomass is incorporated with a plow or disk, as is often done with (brown) manure. The primary goal ...

, it is now widespread worldwide, although it probably originated in the Mediterranean region.

Description

White mustard is an annual, growing to high with stalkless pinnate leaves, similar to ''

Sinapis arvensis ''Sinapis arvensis'', the charlock mustard, field mustard, wild mustard, or charlock, is an annual or winter annual plant of the genus ''Sinapis'' in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in the fields of North Africa, Asia and Europe. '' Pieri ...

''.

Distribution

Most common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, it can be found worldwide. It has been found as far north as Greenland, and naturalized throughout

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Culinary uses

The yellow flowers of the plant produce glabrous or sparsely bristled seed pods. Each fruit (

silique A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit ...

) contains roughly a half dozen seeds. The plants are harvested for their seeds just prior to the seed pods becoming ripe and bursting open (dehiscing). White mustard seeds are hard spheroid seeds, usually around in diameter, with a color ranging from beige or yellow to light brown. They can be used whole for pickling or toasted for use in dishes. When ground and mixed with other ingredients, a paste or more standard

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

can be produced. ''Sinapis alba'' is used to make the commonplace yellow table mustard, with additional yellow coloring provided by

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

in some formulations. The seeds contain

sinalbin Sinalbin is a glucosinolate found in the seeds of white mustard, '' Sinapis alba'', and in many wild plant species. In contrast to mustard from black mustard (''Brassica nigra ''Brassica nigra'', or black mustard, is an annual plant cultivated ...

, which is a

thioglycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides ...

responsible for their pungent taste. White mustard has fewer

volatile oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

s and the flavor is considered to be milder than that produced by

black mustard ''Brassica nigra'', or black mustard, is an annual plant cultivated for its dark-brown-to-black seeds, which are commonly used as a spice. It is native to tropical regions of North Africa, temperate regions of Europe, and parts of Asia. Descri ...

seeds. In Greece, the plant's leaves are eaten during the winter, before it blooms. Greeks call it () or (). The blooming season of this plant (February–March) is celebrated with the Mustard Festival, a series of festivities in the wine country of California (Napa and Sonoma Counties).

Other uses

White mustard is commonly used as a cover and green manure crop in Europe (between UK and Ukraine). A large number of varieties exist,Netherlands
/ref> mainly differing in lateness of flowering and resistance against white beet-cyst nematode (''

Heterodera schachtii ''Heterodera schachtii'', the beet cyst eelworm or sugarbeet nematode, is a plant pathogenic nematode. It infects more than 200 different plants including economically important crops such as sugar beets, cabbage, broccoli, and radish. ''H. sch ...

''). Farmers prefer late-flowering varieties, which do not produce seeds, as they may become weeds in the subsequent year. Early vigor is important to cover the soil quickly to suppress weeds and protect the soil against erosion. In rotations with

sugar beets Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double s ...

, suppression of the white beet-cyst nematode is an important trait. Resistant white mustard varieties reduce nematode populations by 70-90%.

Gallery

Image:Sinapis alba 1.JPG, flowering plant Image:Sinapis alba Habitus 2010-4-11 DehesaBoyalPuertollano.jpg, plant Image:Gele mosterd bloemen Sinapis alba.jpg, flowers Image:Sinapis alba fruits IP0307031.jpg, seed pods Image:Gele mosterd groenbemesting (Sinapis alba green manuring).jpg, cover crop

References

External links

Sinapis alba
Flowers in Israel * * * * http://www.maltawildplants.com/CRUC/Sinapis_alba.php Comprehensive profile for ''Sinapis alba''. {{Taxonbar, from=Q146202 Spices Brassicaceae Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753