Mustard Oil

In India, mustard oil is used for cooking, making pickles, hair care, and body massage. For cooking, the oil is heated to almost its smoking point, and then allowed to cool. This process makes the pungency to be more milder.

Health Concern

Mustard seed oil may have over 30% Erucic acid. This gives it a very strong pungent smell. In United States, the oil is not considered edible if Erucic acid exceeds 5%. Erucic acid can cause allergic  reactions and may even be carcinogenic. An adult must consume a quantity in excess of a gallon per day to be worried about the ill effects.

Health benefits

It has very high omega 3 to omega 6 ratio, making it as good for heart as the Canola oil.

Cold Pressed Oil

This is most common variety of oil used in India. This pungent oil is obtained by pressing Indian mustard seeds ( Brassica juncea) at room temperature. In Hindi it is called Sarson ka Tel.

When we lived in Kumher (Rajasthan), we had a room about 12'x12'. In the middle of the room was a Kolhu. At the bottom, it had a hole to collect oil. It the middle it had a very heavy wooden rod. The rod pressed the mustard seeds against the wall of the Kolhu. This rod was linked by another piece of wood placed on the neck of a bull. As the bull went around in circle, the seeds were pressed to to extract oil. After the oil was extracted,  the empty cake of mustard seeds was mixed with the feed for dairy cows or water buffalos.

Distillation

The mustard seeds are macerated in warm water. The process gives a very pungent taste and produces high amount of  allyl isothiocyanate. After distillation, we have very pungent essential oil, or volatile oil. The allyl isothiocyanate makes the oil toxic and irritant to skin.

Blended Oils

In United States, Soya bean or other oils are blended to lower the Erucic acid.

My memory lane

As a young teen, I lived in Rupbas (Rajasthan). There is no natural site to ever fall in love other than a blossom of Sarson field. The yellow color of the blossom has its own name 'Basanti'. Basant Panchami marks the end of winter, starting the spring near February. I am not sure, if it was my age, or the time of the year, young women just looked so much more sensuous walking through the the Sarson blossom. Perhaps it was a mixture of my age, the spring and the Sarson blossom.