Poppy Seed

Common Name

The poppy has been cultivated for thousands of years. Mentioned in Homer's Iliad, poppy seeds were often cultivated for their opium content. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks alike were aware of opium and its effects on the body and often using it as a pain reliever. Arab countries used opium as a drug throughout recorded history.  In India, poppy seeds are known as Khus Khus.

India and Turkey cultivate almost all of the poppies grown for pharmaceutical grade opium and also codeine. Poppy plants have very beautiful flowers, popular in domestic gardens in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Asia. The red poppy has come to represent soldiers who have been killed during wars -- a tradition that dates back to antiquity when poppies represented honor.

Poppy seeds come from flowers of Papaver somniferum, an annual that produces a pod-like capsule that once dried and opened reveals thousands of tiny seeds. When left to ripen, the seeds are a bluish-black, but when unripe the seeds are white. The smaller white seeds are slightly more bitter and are generally only used in Eastern cuisines. However, both types of seeds can be used interchangeably.

White poppy seeds are usually cultivated for their opium content, but blue seeds produce very little opium that is all but gone once the seed ripens. Both blue and white seeds have a mild, nutty taste and aroma that becomes stronger once heated.

Purported Medicinal Qualities*

Western and Eastern poppy seeds differ in their medicinal properties. Eastern poppy seeds are used to make morphine, codeine, heroin and opium. However, most culinary poppy seeds are western poppy seeds which cannot be used to make narcotics. Poppy seeds are soothing, which may help cure insomnia, extremely high in calcium, and are said to help expel mucus from the nasal passage and lungs. It is never recommended to use any natural remedy containing poppy seeds or poppy seed oil for more than three days as symptoms of addiction may present.

Historically, poppy seeds have been used to:

• Relieve itching - poppy seed paste with lime juice
• Cure dysentery
• Control dehydration
• Cure sleeplessness
• Induce relaxation
• As a source of calcium

*Always check with your healthcare provider before consuming, inhaling or otherwise ingesting any non-prescription or prescription natural or homeopathic substance or pharmaceutical.  ChefatHand.com is not recommending, suggesting, inferring or otherwise endorsing the use of any herb or spice as a medication.

Culinary/Suggested Use

Western blue poppy seeds are most often associated with baked goods, however they are an excellent addition to salad dressings, fish and vegetables. Eastern poppy seeds are actually white and are generally used in curries as a thickening agent, but do not differ in flavor from the blue seeds. High in protein, white poppy seeds should be lightly toasted and ground with other spices and added to curries. Store white poppy seeds in the freezer when possible.  Food for thought:

• Grind white poppy seeds to use as a wholesome, flour-like thickener.
• Add blue poppy seeds to any green or fruit salad
• Roast or crush blue seeds before adding them to a dish for a nice nutty flavor
• Add blue poppy seeds to waffle or pancake batter
• Add whole blue poppy seeds to a creamy pasta sauce
• Add poppy seeds to almost any baked good
• Toast seeds before grinding as they are very hard, this will also enhance their taste and aroma

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