Mustard Seeds

Black (or brown) mustard is the Indian tempering seed; yellow is the condiment type most European buyers want. They are different species with different pungency and are not substitutes for one another.

What to fix on the specification

• Type: black or brown for tempering, yellow for condiment. Different species.
• Oil content, where the seed is being crushed.
• Purity, with the counting method.
• Moisture and admixture.
• Foreign matter, after cleaning.

Black and yellow mustard are not substitutes for one another, and a specification that says only “mustard seed” has fixed neither the species nor the pungency. Identity clauses are the fix.