Poppy Seeds

Name: Poppy seeds — the tiny, kidney-shaped seeds of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), most commonly blue-grey, but also white, yellow or brown, depending on the variety. They are used whole, ground, or pressed for oil.

Description

The opium poppy is native to the eastern Mediterranean and has been cultivated for thousands of years. Poppy seeds themselves are a culinary ingredient, used in Central and Eastern European, Jewish, Indian and Turkish cooking, such as Polish and Hungarian poppy seed rolls, German Mohnkuchen cake, bagels and lemon poppy seed muffins. White poppy seeds (khus khus) are ground to thicken curries in Indian cooking.

The seeds contain very little opium on their own, but they can pick up trace amounts of opium alkaloids, such as morphine and codeine, from the pods during harvesting, and these traces can be detected in drug tests.

Main nutrition value

Poppy seeds provide healthy unsaturated fat, fibre, calcium, iron and magnesium, though as a seasoning they are eaten in small amounts.

How best to be consumed

Poppy seeds are typically sprinkled or ground into dishes.

1. Sprinkle on breads, rolls, bagels and crackers.
2. Bake into cakes, muffins and pastry fillings, often with lemon or honey.
3. Grind and use as a thickener in curries and sauces, as in Indian white poppy seed pastes.
4. Toast or grind to bring out their nutty flavour.
5. Buy from reputable sources, since contamination levels can vary.

Overconsumption could cause…

Poppy seeds are safe in food amounts, but there are some specific points.

1. A false positive on drug tests after eating a lot of poppy seed foods, because of trace opium alkaloids.
2. Serious poisoning from drinking poppy seed tea or eating very large amounts of unwashed seeds, because of the morphine content.
3. Allergic reactions in rare cases.
4. A concern for pregnant or breastfeeding women eating very large amounts, so keep to normal food portions.

GroupsSeedsHigh fibreLow sodiumRich in calciumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassiumRich in zinc

Related foodsChia SeedsFlaxseeds / LinseedsHemp SeedsPumpkin SeedsWatermelon SeedsSesame Seeds

Wikipedia — Poppy seed, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed