Mustard Seeds - Black:

These are normally sauteed in hot oil, and impart a delicious mild nutty flavour to most Indian vegetable dishes. Black Mustard Seeds Brassica Nigra is a round hard seed, varying in colour from dark brown to black, smaller and more pungent than the white seed. In Indian cookery, whole seeds are fried in a little oil or ghee until the seeds pop releasing the oil and producing a milder, nutty flavour that is useful as a garnish or seasoning for many Indian dishes. Black mustard contains about 1% sinigrin (allylglucosinolate), a thioglycoside-like compound (a so-called glucosinolate) of ally isothiocyanate with glucose. By action of the enzyme myrosinase, allyl isothiocyanate, a pungent, lachrymatory and volatile compound, is liberated (0.7% of the dried seed). Besides allyl isothiocyanate, in Romanian Brown Mustard another related compound is found, namely crotonyl isothiocyanate (2-butenylisothiocyanate).