Poppy seeds

Poppy seeds are tiny, kidney-shaped seeds obtained from the opium poppy plant. They’re widely used in cooking and baking across many cuisines, especially in Indian, Middle Eastern, and European dishes. Poppy seeds have a mild, nutty flavor that becomes more pronounced when lightly toasted. They’re commonly sprinkled on bread, buns, cakes, and pastries, and are also ground into pastes for curries and fillings (for example, in some Bengali and Maharashtrian recipes). Nutritionally, they contain healthy fats, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Even though they come from the opium poppy plant, the seeds themselves contain only trace, non-psychoactive amounts of opiate compounds and are considered safe to eat in normal food quantities. One interesting point: in some countries, very large consumption or certain unwashed seeds can occasionally trigger a positive result in drug screening tests, because of residual traces.