POPPY SEEDS
Poppy seeds are the dried, kidney-shaped seeds of the annual Papaver somniferum. The seeds are very small in size, slate blue in color and are nut-like in flavor.
Poppy seed has been cultivated for over 3,000 years. The tiny poppy seed actually comes from the plant that produces opium. The botanical name for the poppy flower means 'sleep bearing.' Poppies were even used in the Wizard of Oz to put Dorothy to sleep. The seed does not have this effect. Poppy seed was used as a condiment as early as the first century A.D.
The red poppy flower has been the symbol of fallen warriors throughout history and was adopted as the emblem to commemorate Veterans Day in the United States.
There are some 900,000 poppy seeds to the pound.
Poppy seeds have a sweet, nutty flavor and are used as flavoring in breads, rolls, and cakes. They are also used to make poppy seed oil, which is used in cooking, artist's colors and soap. Pressed seed cakes are also used for livestock feed.
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