Are Poppy Seeds From Poppy Flowers?

The poppy seed is a small seed with a nutty flavor that is used as a topping on European breads and confectionary and in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine. It is derived from the opium poppy, known scientifically as Papaver somniferuim.

Identification

• Poppy seeds are hard, almond-shaped and very small. Depending on the variety, they may be blue-gray, as in the Western poppy, or off-white, as in the Indian poppy. Both come from different cultivars of the opium poppy.

Opium Poppy

• The opium poppy produces opium seeds, and these flowers range from white to red to purple. They grow to a height of between 1 and 4 feet with blue-tinged, lobed leaves. The flower petals fall off, leaving behind a capsule full of poppy seeds.

Using Poppy Seeds

• Poppy seeds may be used whole as a topping or ground into a fine powder and put into food for baking. Grind poppy seeds with a specially designed ginder or roast them and crush them with a mortar and pestle.