Mustard oil

This is suggested by distinctive agricultural features found there, such as semi-circular wine vats with steep slopes and lower troughs.

Scholars believe these structures, dating to Roman or Byzantine times, were used to crush mustard pods to make oil.

Having a distinctive pungent taste, the use of the oil is a feature of predominantly Assamese, Bengali, Nepalese[3] and North Indian cooking,[4][5] as well as Bangladeshi cuisine.

[7] Its pungent flavor is due to allyl isothiocyanate, a phytochemical of plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae (for example, cabbage, horseradish or wasabi).

[9] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits the import or sale of expressed mustard oil in the U.S. for use in cooking due to its high erucic acid content.

By contrast, the FDA classifies essential mustard oil, which has a much lower erucic acid content, as generally recognized as safe, and allows its use in food.