Poppy Seed

 

Poppy seed, also known as khaskhas in India, is a tiny kidney shaped, usually cream colored oilseed that is used as an ingredient in the culinary world. This oilseed is also available in black and slate blue colors in Europe, which is quite common in baked dishes. Most of the cuisines use poppy seeds as a spice, condiment and even to garnish foods. Some popular poppy seed recipes include Poppy Seed Cranberry Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake, Poppy Seed Dressing, etc. In fact, poppy seed dishes are highly recommended for pregnant women and new mothers in India and Middle Eastern countries, for their therapeutic effect. However, there is not much difference in flavor and culinary usage of the slate blue and off-white colored poppy seeds.

 

History of Poppy Seeds
Poppy Seed has its origin in the Minoan civilization of the Bronze Age civilization on the island of Crete around 2700 to 1450 BC, where this plant was cultivated for its seeds. Thereafter there is mention of this wonder seed in the Egyptian papyrus scroll called Ebers Papyrus, around 1550 BC. During this period, poppy seed and poppy seed dishes were popular for their sedative nature. Over the centuries, poppy seeds gained prominence not only in the culinary world, but also in the medicinal world and as a wonder seed in folk remedies. These seeds were known to aid sleep and also promote fertility and wealth. In fact, magical powers of invisibility were also associated with poppy seeds. Today, Czech Republic, followed by Turkey, France and then Hungary are the largest producers of poppy seed.

 

Culinary Uses of Poppy Seeds
Poppy seed is a popular ingredient in most of the European, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines. The seeds of poppy are used as is or ground into a paste and added to various dishes, from main course to desserts. If the seeds need to be ground into a paste, they either need to be soaked in milk for about 2 hours or boiled in water to soften the seeds, which are otherwise difficult to grind because of their hard exterior. Some usual ways of making poppy seed dishes are to use these seeds as a filling for pastries, where they are ground along with butter or milk and sugar. Other ways to use the poppy seeds is to garnish dishes, boil with sugar or honey to make candy bars similar to that made with sesame seeds, use as spice or condiment in various gravy based dishes, sprinkle on bagels, add to muffins, puddings, cake and breads to enhance their flavor and also used as thickener in some poppy seed recipes. Most of the poppy seed dishes get their color from the use of these seeds.

 

Popular Poppy Seed Recipes of Various Cuisines
Poppy seed recipes are popular in most of the cuisines across the world. Whether it is Indian, European, or Middle Eastern cuisines, poppy seed dishes are popular as main course, side dishes, and even desserts. Some popular poppy seed recipes are –

  • Indian – Poppy seed, also known as khaskhas in India, is a popular and largely used condiment in the Indian cuisine. The seeds are usually ground into a paste and added to gravy dishes such as meat, especially chicken and fish, and also to vegetable dishes. Poppy seed paste not only adds flavor, but also adds color and thickens gravy base. One such popular poppy seed recipe is Aloo Poshto, which is a very simple dish made from cubed potatoes, roasted poppy seeds paste, ground green chilies, ground red chilies, and salt for flavoring. This shallow fried dish gets its flavor and consistency from poppy seed paste. Other popular poppy seed dishes of this cuisine are Masala Gobi, Khaskhas Halwa, Eggplant curry, Khaskhas Payasam (a dessert), etc.
  • European – Poppy seed Roll is a popular European poppy seed recipe. This recipe has many variations across most of the European countries. This baked dish is a popular East European dessert that uses either whole poppy seeds or paste of the seeds. The filling of such rolls can vary as per ones taste; however, poppy seed is a common ingredient in all of them. Other popular recipes of this cuisine are Poppy Seed Cookies, Poppy Seed, Babovka, Kolache, Poppy Seed Coffee cakes, etc.
  • Middle Eastern – Orange-Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is a popular Middle Eastern poppy seed recipe. This delicious cake gets its flavor from orange zest and poppy seeds. It is served with orange glaze poured over, to further enhance its flavor. Nasi Biryani ( rice dish) is another popular poppy seed dish of the Middle Eastern cuisine.

 

Poppy Seed Trivia

Poppy seeds are soaked in milk and ground into a fine paste to be applied on the skin. As per Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine, this paste is known to work as a moisturizer. Poppy seed oil has industrial uses as well, other than culinary and medicinal uses.