Brassicaceae is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family.
The Brassicaceae, is also classically called the Cruciferae (Latin, meaning ‘cross-bearing’) in reference to its four ‘crossed petals’, is commonly also known as the mustard family.
Brassicaceae contains some 338 genera and more than 3700 species of flowering plants grown worldwide.
They have been traditionally consumed in the human diet as fresh and preserved vegetables, vegetable oils, and condiments, from ancient times to the present.
According Sanskrit records the use of cruciferous crops was documented in India as far back as 3000 BC, while some other ancestral data show that Brassica crops were grown along coastal Europe near to 8000 years ago.
Presently, Brassicaceae vegetables are highly diversified in Mediterranean Europe, Asia, and North America.