OFF THE SHELF
Poppy seeds more than sprinkles on bakery buns

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Poppy seeds can be use in a variety of foods, ranging from breads and rolls to fiery curries. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Poppy seeds are the dried seed of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum ("sleep bearing"), an herbaceous annual native to Greece and the Middle East. Have no fear, the seeds themselves have no narcotic properties; it is the liquid contained in the buds that becomes opium. The plant has been cultivated and used since ancient times.

The nutty taste and aroma of poppy seeds is prized in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and India, and they are found in everything from sweet baked goods to fiery curries. In Eastern Europe, the seeds are used to make jammy, sweet fillings for baked goods.

In making the fillings, the seeds may be soaked in milk, softened in boiling water, toasted or stir-fried in butter before blending with other ingredients — the treatment with heat softens the seeds, which absorb the hot liquid, and brings out the flavors.

In America, lemon poppy seed cake became a standard back in the 1980s. Poppy seed dressing — a sweetened vinaigrette often used to dress fruit salads, or light luncheon salads — is another popular use, along with poppy seed muffins.

Poppy seeds are about half oil — linoleic and oleic acids — and so go rancid very rapidly. Once you've opened a sealed container, store in refrigerator, tightly covered and use within a couple of months.

To experiment with poppy seeds, try adding 1/4 cup to a favorite muffin recipe — especially those containing citrus, a natural match for poppy seeds.