Everywhere in the world, everyone seems to have their favourite cooking oil. The Spaniards and the Italians are very proud of their Olive Oil… and they never get tired of telling you how great it is. The Malaysians go all out to promote their Palm Oil all over the world. The Americans do the same – ardently, with their Soya Bean Oil.
Sadly, we Indians lag behind. We have an oil that is mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic treatises dating back to more than 5000 years – Mustard Oil. It has enormous health benefits to offer; it protects you from a vast array of diseases; it even makes your skin glow with health and makes your hair lustrous and strong. However, the sense of pride that all of us should feel with regard to mustard oil has been ebbing over time.
Boman Irani makes this point – very strongly – in this short video. He says that we should feel proud to be the flag-bearers for Mustard Oil. Going beyond the aspects of health, he also points out that many innately Indian culinary delights would simply not taste the same if one were to substitute mustard oil with any other oil. Mustard Oil is indeed an integral part of so many Indian delicacies like Bengal’s Fish Curry and Kashmir’s Waazwaan.
It isn’t too late to set things right. Let’s make the world sit up and take notice of India’s Oil – Mustard Oil. And let’s do it with pride!