Brassica juncea, also known as mustard greens, Indian mustard and leaf mustard, is a species of mustard plant. Sub-varieties include Southern Giant Curled Mustard, which resembles a headless cabbage such as Kale, but with a distinct horseradish-mustard flavor. It is also known as green mustard cabbage.

Uses

Food

The leaves, the seeds, and the stem of this mustard variety are edible. The plant appears in some form in African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Soul food cuisine. Cultivars of B. juncea are grown as greens, and for the production of oilseed. The leaves are used in African^[1] cooking, and leaves, seeds, and stems are used in Indian cuisine. B. juncea subsp. tatsai which has a particularly thick stem, is used to make the Indian pickle called Achar , and the Chinese pickle zha cai. The mustard made from the seeds of the Brassica juncea is called brown mustard. The leaves (Raai / Rai in Gujarati) are used in many Indian dishes.

Brassica juncea is more pungent than the closely-related Brassica oleracea greens (kale, cabbage, collard greens, et cetera) and is frequently mixed with these milder greens in a dish of "mixed greens", which may include wild greens such as dandelion. As with other greens in soul food cooking, mustard greens are generally flavored by being cooked for a long period with ham hocks or other smoked pork products. Mustard greens are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin K.

Cantonese-style braised mustard greens, with wolfberries

Food supplement

B. juncea can hyperaccumulate cadmium and many other soil trace elements. Specially cultured, it can be used as a selenium, chromium, iron and zinc food supplement.

Green manure

A bunch of fresh mustard greens from the United States

Phytoremediation

This plant is used to remove heavy metals from the soil in hazardous waste sites because it has a higher tolerance for these substances and stores the heavy metals in its cells. The plant is then harvested and disposed of properly. This method is easier and less expensive than traditional methods for the removal of heavy metals.It also prevents erosion of soil from these sites preventing further contamination.

References

Further reading

• ISBN 0-89672-614-2

See also

• Brassica rapa - related family of edible greens used in Asian cooking.
• Brassica nigra - black mustard, another mustard variety.
• Brassica alba - yellow or white mustard, another mustard variety.
• Brassica carinata - Ethiopian mustard
• Brassica oleracea - Wild mustard

For other edible plants in the family Brassicaceae, see cruciferous vegetables.

External links

• PROTAbase on ''Brassica juncea''
• Brassica juncea
• Culinary description of the many tasty varieties of mustard greens

• Photos and information on Southern Giant Curled Mustard
• Mustard Green Manures: Washington State University Extension paper on cover crops.

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