The rapeseed plant usually blooms in the summer and is famous for its golden-yellow flowers. Belonging to the cabbage family, it’s closely related to turnip and mustard. Its oil — known both as rapeseed and canola oil — is widely used for cooking, baking, and food processing.

This article reviews the nutritional content, benefits, and potential downsides of rapeseed oil. Production and uses Canada is the largest producer of rapeseed oil, with Germany coming in a close second. In fact, the name “canola” comes from a pairing of the words “Canada” and “oil” (1Trusted Source). Originally, culinary rapeseed oil was developed via traditional crossbreeding. However, most varieties available in the United States are genetically modified (GM) to be pest-resistant. Thus, these products are classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).