Mustard seed yellow powder

The white mustard plant (Sinapis alba) is a Mediterranean native grown elsewhere as a forage plant for grazing animals. The bright yellow flowers contain seed pods, each one of which houses 5 or 6 round, yellow seeds, which are harvested just before the pods burst open. Ground mustard seed is commonly used to season condiments, most notably American yellow mustard.

Although we refer to this variety of ground mustard seed as “yellow mustard,” the plant that donates the seeds is actually known as white mustard.

Mixing yellow mustard seed powder with cold water will result in a particularly pungent mustard due to a reaction between an enzyme called myrosin and a glycoside called sinigrin. Adding salt to the mixture, or mixing with hot water or vinegar, inhibits myrosin and results in a mustard with a milder, bitter flavor.