I tried to get my parents to switch from canola—universally used in India and Bangladesh these days—to time-tested mustard oil, and they were like “mhmm.” :-/
The story is a lot more interesting than I could have imagined:
It’s particularly popular in the northern state of West Bengal in India, where it’s used in dishes such as achaars, a pickled condiment used to add an acidic spice to a wide variety of dishes.
Through careful breeding processes, the group of scientists were able to produce rapeseed plants with low levels of erucic acid. The oil, later to be named canola oil (can- for Canada, -ola which stands for “oil, low acid”) soon became a commercialized, easily marketable hit with both the public and science community alike (Fisher, 2020).
Other than the genetic engineering and solvent-based extraction of canola oil. But yes, that was my parents reaction as well. Regardless, it’s just butter, ghee, and sometimes olive or avocado oil at my house. Because food and cleanliness taboos are sub-scientific.
I don’t think people eating butter instead of canola oil is what upsets people.
It’s people ignoring the mountain of evidence that such a switch would be a backwards step for health outcomes and claiming the opposite because they read a book by the usual rogues’ gallery of science misinterpreters (Taubes, Teicholz, Shanahan).
ant-seed oil is anti-scientific and prays on people being ignorant about the research on health outcomes and relies on emotional appeals and appeals to nature such as "the genetic engineering and solvent-based extraction of canola oil".
Who are you trying to kid? You listed sunflower seed oil alongside canola --- you're presumably just as opposed to mustard seed oil.
It would be funny if the one seed oil you're OK with is mustard seed oil, the oil closest in composition to canola, the one oil anyone has a legit gripe about (it doesn't taste very good).
Mustard oil has been used in the subcontinent since the Indus valley civilization 4,500 years ago. It’s extremely well understood. Unlike solvent extraction of oil.
You write this as if there isn't controversy about mustard oil, which is banned in the United States because it contains high levels of a likely heart toxin ("Among South Asians living in the US, ASCVD risk is four-fold higher than the local population") and limited throughout Europe. The entire point of solvent extraction is convert rapeseed oil, which would otherwise be similarly problematic (they're basically the same plant!) into something less toxic than mustard oil (that's literally why it's called "canola").
I don't care either way; let the mustard oil flow. I don't buy the mustard oil thing either. Just don't pretend that mustard oil is somehow healthier than canola. Use whichever fat tastes best to you.
Canola oil is simply a mustard-seed oil from a hybrid mustard bred for low erucic acid content. Solvent extraction is widely used, but not something that defines canola oil. Cold-pressed and expeller-pressed canola oil are also produced on a smaller scale.
