Poppy Seeds and All Its Goodness
Being fond of food may have led you to click on this page, or maybe mere fact hunting has brought your attention to this article. Whatever motivation drives you, this article offers facts about one type of seeds popularly used in baking pastries which are called poppy seeds.
Many of us may have eaten a lot of poppy seeds, but the important information related to poppy seeds is known only to food enthusiasts and those whose job are in line with cooking. Considering the many others who barely know these seeds, the following paragraphs are written to inform about the facts of poppy seeds which will surely leave a mark in our memory. If you want to know what they are, follow along.
Asia, due to its climate, has the best soil for poppy plants. Poppy plant bears poppy seeds at its head. The seeds are small and dried which come with a nutty flavor.
Although in the present time poppy seeds are mostly used for cooking foods, during the ancient times they were mainly used for medicinal purposes. In Greece, Hippocrates introduced these seeds to his fellow Greeks as a medicine for insomnia. Todays time, poppy seeds are introduced as herbal remedies for curing coughs, earaches and toothaches. In addition, these seeds are also long known to fight off inflammation, fever, dysentery among other sickness. Hence, it is no wonder why poppy pods are widely cultivated today as much as in the previous centuries.
As a food ingredient, poppy seeds are used in baking pastries as condiments, baked in or sprinkled. They are usual ingredients for rolls, breads, and cakes. Aside from being tasty, poppy seeds are desirable foods for their nutritional value. Each seed contains linoeic acid, oleic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to its nutritional value, poppy seeds have extracts which can be used for cooking and making soaps.
Poppy seeds are not only appealing to food lovers and the health conscious but to those who sound superstitious also. It is believed that poppy seeds are a symbol of fertility and prosperity. The seeds are used in rituals, as amulets against bad luck and as charms to attract love, money and luck. In the ancient and present times, red poppy seeds are a symbol of fallen warriors.
Poppy seeds may contain health benefits, but they can also be addictive because of the alkaloids such as morphine and codeine they are contained with. Experts suggest using ripe poppy seeds that contain trace amounts of alkaloids. Unripe ones are loaded with too much alkaloids, hence dangerous for those who do not deliberately plan to become alkaloid addicts.
Getting acquainted with all this information is significant as poppy seeds are loaded with opposing benefits that can destroy or improve our health.