In Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nepal, mustard oil is actually the traditionally preferred oil for cooking as it has a distinctive pungent taste to it. As a matter of fact, the characteristic pungent flavor of this oil is due to allyl isothiocyanate, which in turn is a dietary phytochemical that exhibits promising anticancer activities. On a side note – it is never safe to use pure mustard oil in cooking or to take it as a dietary supplement. In fact, the safest method of using it is to dilute it in carrier oil and apply it to the skin.