The round and oily seeds of the opium poppy range from creamy white to blue-grey. The nutty taste and bite are unique in this form. Read more about it here.
In Europe, we mostly find black poppy seeds or black, ground grains in grocery stores. Poppy seeds are also often used in India. There, however, light-colored, brownish seeds are usually integrated into the dishes. Flatbreads, curries and potato dishes are often prepared with the small seeds and used to add a special bite as well as flavor. Here in Europe, poppy seeds are often used as a garnish for bread rolls or as a cake topping. Countries such as Poland, Hungary and Austria in particular have many traditional sweet dishes that contain a large amount of poppy seeds. Juicy poppy seed strudel is just as popular as a fruit crumble cake with poppy seed filling. To soften the many grains in the dessert, they are first soaked in water. This allows them to swell so that they are a little softer when you bite into them afterwards. If the soaking step is omitted, for example because there is not enough time, the bakers use poppy seeds that have already been ground. This is rarely available here and grinding it yourself is more difficult. Unless, of course, you have your own grain mill.
Poppy plants grow in various countries and books show that the seed was already being used in the kitchen in Egypt as early as 1500 BC. In Asia, poppy seeds, which produce yellow to brownish seeds, are more commonly grown today. In Iran, Turkey, Holland and Central and South America, we mostly find the dark poppy seeds.
The opium poppy plant grows up to 1.2 meters high and bears flowers. Depending on the variety, these shine in a wide range of colors such as white, pink, red or purple. If these flowers are left, a capsule forms. After four to six weeks, this is dried and white to steel-blue, pinhead-sized seeds are hidden inside. The poppy capsules are harvested and the seeds are removed from the capsule and packaged.
The opium poppy seeds are also said to have an intoxicating effect. However, this is not true, as the seeds no longer contain any intoxicating substance. Opium is also produced from the opium poppy. However, the milky sap is extracted from the unripe flower capsule and used for this purpose. This means you don't have to worry when using poppy seeds in your kitchen.
In order for the poppy seeds to reveal their nutty flavor, it is worth roasting the seeds in a frying pan over a medium heat first. Only use fat for this if you are going to use it for the rest of the dish, for example for a curry.
Tomorrow you will find a recipe for juicy poppy seed and pear muffins here.
Have fun experimenting with the dark seed.
Neuen Kommentar hinzufügen: