Mustard

So is mustard

In the kitchen, the term mustard refers to the seeds of some plants belonging to the genus Brassica. These seeds can be used as a spice (crushed or crushed), or as the basis of a typical semi-liquid condiment, called mustard sauce.

As a spice, mustard seeds are used in the formulation of all kinds of dishes and in the covering of some cured meats; in the form of a condiment, on the other hand, nowadays mustard (mustard sauce) is used above all as an accompaniment to certain meats (hamburgers, wurstel, sausages, etc.).
Mustard seeds are also one of the main ingredients of mustard, a traditional North Italian product aimed at accompanying boiled meat.
ATTENTION! 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 (a misnomer), water and sugar, while mustard sauces are obtained by mixing mustard seed flour with vinegar, salt and eventually 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 aimed at two botanical species of mustard, black mustard (binomial nomenclature: Brassica nigra) and white mustard (binomial nomenclature: Brassica alba).
The mustard berries abound with active ingredients that give a spicy taste, responsible for the characteristic taste and smell. These are glucosinolates (or thioglucosides), that is to say glucosides formed by a sugary part that binds to the aglycone through an atom of sulfur. By enzymatic hydrolysis (myrosinase) these substances release isothiocyanates, molecules with rubefacient, revulsive, lacrimatory, antioxidant and blistering action. In white mustard, in particular, we find the sinalbine, while in the black one abounds sinigrin; the latter, by hydrolysis, gives rise to isothiocyanate (or isozulfocyanate), which is distinguished by its spicier taste compared to p-hydroxybenzylisothiocyanate (freed from the hydrolysis of sinalbin). Because of this, 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 other than those in which isothiocyanates are present; for this reason, the crushing of fresh seeds guarantees a better aroma than mustard flour.

Phytotherapeutic aspects

Beyond its culinary popularity, mustard is also used (albeit limited) in herbal medicine. For external use, its rubefacient properties are exploited (useful in the presence of neuralgia, rheumatism and muscle pain), while for internal use it is used as an emetic agent (in high doses it induces vomiting) and digestive (stimulates gastric secretions); in the past, poultices were heavily used in the presence of catarrhal 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; analogous speech in the presence of vascular disorders.

Mustard sauce

In summary, mustard sauce is a condiment made from mustard seeds (nigra or Sunrise). It appears partially liquid in consistency, 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 the presence of food additives; at the same time, the homemade mustard sauce (see Alice's video recipe: Mustard sauce) tends to oxidize more quickly but, in any case, it does not represent a substrate easily attacked by bacteria. Just think that, like other spices, mustard seeds have a certain preservative power.
There are various types of mustard sauce, differing in the ratio of ingredients and spices. This balance changes both by brand and by type (sweet mustard, spicy mustard, etc.).
Mustard sauce is used as a fast-food sauce or condiment, as an accompaniment to fresh meats (raw and cooked, such as tartare or sautéed fillets), to cover roasts and to formulate other more complex sauces. It is rarely used in fish-based recipes (due to its very strong flavor), but often accompanies preparations based on hard-boiled eggs and, among the side dishes, it goes well with boiled potatoes (see the recipe for mustard potato salad). , fried or roasted.
The recipe for making mustard sauce is pretty 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, turmeric, nutmeg, ginger, sweet paprika). The procedure is just as simple: mix all the spices and mix them finely, moisturize the powder with water and vinegar to the right consistency, then mix again.
ATTENTION! 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, by adding this homemade mustard it is possible to obtain a result quite similar to that found on the shelves.