Why does mustard tend to irritate your nose, while other spicy food(s) don’t seem to be doing that so much?
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If you’re talking off the shelf yellow mustard, it’s because of the vinegar. The “vapors” from the vinegar irritate your nose. The higher priced/quality mustards use more actual mustard which have components that are similar to those in horseradish, or often actually contain horseradish, that “burns your nose from the inside”.
Just watched this YouTube video last night. Hopefully you find it as interesting as I did
Edited because I know my comment looks like a bot comment, but the link is in fact relevant to OPs question.
Mustard (along with wasabi, horseradish, and so on) contains the ingredients for Allyl isothiocyanate. As you eat it, those ingredients become mixed. The resulting isothiocyanate is mixed with your saliva and, as you breathe, it goes into your your nasal cavity, causing some small irritation.