Traditions with mustard

Mustard seeds, small, round and sharp, are used whole, ground and as oil, and their use ranges from Bengal fish curry to Dijon sauce, a hot dog in Chicago and the mustard greens of the American South. The seeds are tempered in oil in South India and pressed to make the pungent oil of Bengal. Mustard has been grown for thousands of years, and in many traditions it stands for faith and for small beginnings. These pages describe where it is used.

Where it is used

In Bengal, mustard paste is cooked with hilsa fish and in shorshe ilish for festivals, and mustard oil is used for frying and massage. In South India, mustard seeds are popped in oil to start a curry. In France, Dijon mustard is a regional pride, in Germany it comes with the Bratwurst, and in Britain it goes with roast beef. In Punjab, sarson da saag, mustard greens, is eaten with makki di roti in winter.

What it means

In Christian teaching the mustard seed is a symbol of faith, from the parable of the small seed that grows into a large tree. In Hindu rites, mustard seeds are used in some prayers to ward off evil, and in Punjab, the yellow mustard fields of spring are a symbol of Basant and Vaisakhi. A yellow mustard field in bloom is one of the sights of the Indian winter.