White mustard
Family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae)
Brassica alba (= Brassica hirta, Sinapis alba), white mustard (B. alba 1), is a hairy annual herb, 30-80 cm high, with yellow flowers and hairy fruits, up to 4 cm long, with broad flattened beaks (B. alba 2), containing yellowish seeds (B. alba 3). The seeds contain the glucoside sinalbin, which is hydrolysed in the presence of water by enzyme action to give a pungent flavour.
Use
White mustard is a native of the Mediterranean region. The young seedlings are being eaten as salad. Whole seeds are used in pickles, sausages and sauerkraut.
The seeds are ground with the seeds of Brassica nigra, black mustard (B. nigra 1), to produce mustard flour. Together with starch, vinegar, pepper, salt and different spices this is made into table mustard. German mustard contains cinnamon and cloves; French mustard tarragon, onion and garlic; English mustard cayenne pepper. Black mustard is a native of temperate Europe, with cylindrical fruits and dark coloured seeds.