Whole, ground (also prepared mustard) Very pungent seed in two varieties: white or yellow, and brown. Brown is stronger. Cheese and egg dishes, pickling, meats, sauces and gravies

Jesus uses the mustard seed as a metaphor for God's new order in which something very small and inconspicuous can grow into something very large and influential that is destined to change everything. The tiny seed growing into a huge sheltering tree that becomes home to many different kinds of birds is also a metaphor to God's great kingdom homecoming. Finally, the mustard seed is also a metaphor of how God can use "the foolish things of the world to confound the mighty."

Mustard seeds are the proverbially small seeds of the various mustard plants. The seeds are about 1 mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional cuisines.