Dry Mustard vs. Mustard

Mustard is found in many cuisines. Mustard greens make a nutritious side dish and the seeds are used as a spice and condiment. Whether dry or prepared, mustard adds dimension and flavor to sandwiches, dressings, sauces and other foods.

Dry Mustard

• Yellow mustard is often used on hot dogs. hot dog and fries image by Ray Kasprzak from Fotolia.com

  Dry or powdered mustard -- also called mustard flour -- is made from white mustard seeds that have been dried and ground to a powder. It is mild until mixed with cold water and allowed to sit for a few minutes to release oil of mustard. Turmeric gives dry and yellow mustard their color. The hot mustard served in Chinese restaurants is dry mustard mixed with water.

Prepared Mustard

• Ready-made mustards vary in sweetness, sharpness, texture and flavor, and are used on sandwiches, in cooking or alone as a dip. They're made by blending ground dried mustard seeds with wine, vinegar or water, salt, spices and other ingredients. Yellow mustard is made from white mustard seeds; Bordeaux, Dijon, German and Meaux mustards are made from more pungent black seeds.

Seed and Oil

• Grainy mustards get their texture from unground seeds. Toasted or fried seeds, as well as mustard oil, are used in Indian cooking. When diluted, the oil is used as a liniment and to treat scorpion stings and snake bites, stiff muscles and respiratory problems, and to induce vomiting.