Cutting the mustard
Gaurangi Maitra
BRUSH IN hand, she paints fields carpeted in yellow mustard flowers bordered by tall trees wrapped in morning mist on her canvas; I watch through my lens, the whole charming scene glazed over by the sparkling winter morning sunshine. I have always found sunflowers too loud after the perky piquant charm of yellow mustard flowers on a bed of dark green leaves.
Mustard, the yellow peril, has been long tamed for human delight. Its common English name “mustard” owes its genesis to an early preparation by mixing unfermented or new grape juice, known as “must” to tame the burning (ardens) taste of ground mustard seeds to make “burning must”, hence mustard. Thus the world famous Dijon mustard is said to have originated when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, the acidic “green” juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.
Mustard was not a spice or condiment that the west had to come east to find. It apparently found its way to the English table thanks to the Gauls (did Obelix put mustard on wild boar?) who in turn learnt it from the Romans. Of the 40 varieties of mustard plants available, only three enjoy global popularity in culinary use. The very pungent black seed variety probably originated in Asia Minor; the brown or the Indian mustard from the Himalayas and the yellow (also called white) from the Mediterranean area.
The mustard plant, a cousin of the cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, easily grows in temperate climes. After about 85-95 planting seeds are harvested at the end of winter Saskatchewan in the Canadian prairies is the world’s largest producer of mustard as a crop. In the tropics it is a winter crop. The chill of the Indian cold weather is driven away by green leaves that go into sarso ka saag with dollops of fresh butter! Or a handful thrown into pork stew or fish curried in mustard paste warms the palate when winter settles down in Shillong. They crackle along with curry leaves to become the top note of kitchens in southern India at any time of the year! The oil which makes up about one third of the seed comes out of the press dark, golden and pungent to be used for cooking or cosmetic use. The chemical allyl isothiocyanate is responsible for the characteristic pungency of this oil. Mustard oil is one of the few plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids in vegetarian diets.
The yellow or brown or black seeds which are an indispensable part of any spice box in homes throughout the Indian subcontinent have been reintroduced as sauces to dress the fast food mantra. They were very much part of the colonial tables whether served in a humble pot or silver cruet pepping up the bland boiled or roasted meats or helping to preserve them in days before refrigeration. By 1866, Jeremiah Colman, founder of Colman’s Mustard of England, was appointed as mustard-maker to Queen Victoria. The use of mustard as a hot dog condiment was first seen at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair in the USA. Our home made kasundi or mustard sauce or relish is a far more deli style fiery cousin of the European table condiment!
As with all food legend and lore are part of its culture. The Bible packs awesome power into the tiny mustard seed. In Matthew 17:20 it is written: ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move’. About 85 km from Aizawl, legend tells us that a huge mustard plant once stood. When the plant was cut down, jets of water sprayed from the plant and creating Ţamdil or ‘Lake of Mustard Plant’. Today this natural lake is an important tourist attraction and a holiday resort.
To assure a German bride dominance over her new household she is advised to sew mustard seeds into the hem of her wedding dress! In places as far off as Denmark and India, it is believed spreading mustard seeds around the exterior of the home will keep out evil spirits. And finally the popular saying, “can’t cut the mustard” means ‘can’t live up to a challenge’!
One must be able to pack the punch contained in the tiny fiery seed!