20. BRASSICA JUNCEA L.
Local names: Mohari, Rai, brown mustard, Chinese mustard, Indian mustard, leaf mustard, Oriental mustard and vegetable mustard
Family: Brassicaceae
Location: Canteen area
General Characters: The leaves of brown mustard are highly variable in appearance, depending on the variety. Those grown as a leafy vegetable range in appearance from the curly “Southern mustard” popular in parts of the southern United States to the compact head mustards of eastern Asia. Some popular Japanese and Korean varieties have large kale-like leaves that can be purple-green in colour. The leaves are typically harvested before the plant “bolts,” or goes to flower. The bisexual flowers have four yellow petals arranged in a cross. Each fruit pod contains up to 20 seeds, which are nearly globular in shape, finely pitted, and odourless when whole. Brown mustard seeds are dark yellow in colour and about 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) in diameter.
General use: In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving, cooked mustard greens provide 110 kilojoules (26 kilocalories) of food energy and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value) of vitamins A, C, and K—K being especially high as a multiple of its Daily Value. Mustard greens are a moderate source of vitamin E and calcium. Greens are 92% water, 4.5% carbohydrates, 2.6% protein and 0.5% fat (table). The leaves, seeds, and stems of this mustard variety are edible. The plant appears in some form in African, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Filipino, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Nepali, Pakistani, Korean, Southern and African-American (soul food) cuisines. Cultivars of B. juncea are grown for their greens, and for the production of mustard oil. The mustard condiment made from the seeds of the B. juncea is called brown mustard and is considered to be spicier than yellow mustard.