White or yellow mustard is the pale-seeded mustard behind mild American yellow mustard and part of English mustard powder. Its heat is gentler and stays on the tongue, without the sinus rush of brown or black mustard. In India it is a minor crop; the kadugu and rai of everyday cooking are brown mustard, Brassica juncea. Elsewhere it is grown as much for green manure as for seed.
- Botanical name
- Sinapis alba L.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Tamil
- Vellai kadugu
- Hindi
- Safed rai
- Parts used
- Seeds
- Habit
- Pale mustard; English mustard is a shop word
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise White mustard
It is a bristly annual, usually knee- to waist-high, with leaves deeply cut into irregular lobes along the whole blade.
Bright yellow four-petalled flowers grow in loose spikes at the top of the stem.
The pods are hairy and end in a long, flat, sword-like beak that is often as long as the seed-bearing part, a clear field mark.
The seeds are round, pale straw to yellow, and larger than black or brown mustard seed.
Traditional use of White mustard
Kitchen
Ground seed is mixed with vinegar and turmeric for yellow table mustard, used whole in pickling spice, and blended with brown seed for mustard powder.
European and American food practice
Kitchen
Seedlings are cut young as the mustard of mustard-and-cress salad sprouts.
British kitchen practice
Farming
It is sown after harvest and ploughed in as green manure, because it grows fast and covers bare soil in a few weeks.
European farm practice
Modern notes on White mustard
Its pungent glucosinolate is sinalbin, which breaks down to a compound that does not evaporate easily, so the heat stays on the tongue and does not rise to the nose.
Its seed mucilage helps hold mustard pastes and mayonnaise together.
Ploughed-in plants release glucosinolate breakdown products that researchers study for suppressing some soil pests, a practice called biofumigation.
White mustard safety
Mustard is a common food allergen, and white mustard causes many of the reactions in Europe. Use it in kitchen amounts.
Ecology and sourcing
It is native to the Mediterranean region and now grows as a field weed in many temperate areas.
Its quick flowering cover feeds bees late in the season.
As a cover crop it protects bare soil from erosion over winter.
Related plants
Also in Brassicaceae
Questions about White mustard
Is White mustard the same as Indian rai?
No. Indian rai is mostly brown mustard, Brassica juncea.
Why is yellow mustard milder?
Its hot compound does not vaporise, so it lacks a nasal kick.
How do I recognise the plant?
Look for hairy pods ending in a long, flat beak.
What colour are the seeds of White mustard?
Pale yellow to straw coloured, and larger than dark mustard seed.
Why do farmers grow White mustard if not for seed?
As fast green manure and winter soil cover.
Sources
- Sinapis alba L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q146202 (Sinapis alba)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.