Poppyseeds
I once knew an old hippie who said that when the United States government was trying to conscript him for the Vietnam war, he consumed a large quantity of poppy seeds before taking the medical exam. The doctors thought he was a heroin addict and he was exempted.
I thought this was a tall tale until I found out that the seeds do indeed come from the same plant used to make opium, which in turn is manufactured into heroin. Poppy seeds, which range in colour from off-white to the more familiar blue-grey, are harvested from ripe plants, while opium is made from the unripe pods.
Poppy seeds have been used in Indian, Middle Eastern and Central and East European cuisines for ages. The tiny seeds are sold whole and raw, but their subtle, nutty flavour is enhanced when toasted and/or ground. They go rancid quickly but their shelf life can be prolonged if they're stored in the freezer. The seeds are pressed into oil, sprinkled over breads and pastries, pounded into pastes, mixed with spices for use in savoury foods and cooked with honey or sugar to make confections such as halvah and brittle.
Poppy seeds look attractive in simple cakes and the flavour goes especially well with lemon and orange. To make lemon poppy-seed pound cake, mix a regular pound cake recipe (equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour), add finely grated lemon zest and a small handful of lightly toasted poppy seeds. Sprinkle more poppy seeds (untoasted) over the top, then bake. When the pound cake is cooked, poke lots of holes in it with a skewer and pour on a glaze made from lemon juice and confectioner's sugar. Cool completely before slicing.
Poppy seeds ground with dates are delicious in an easy tart. Soak dried dates overnight then drain and pat dry. Trim off any tough stems. Make enough sweet tart dough for a double-crusted tart, line a pan with it and chill. In a food processor, grind the dates with a large handful of toasted poppy seeds, sugar to taste, finely chopped orange zest and a good shot of bourbon or cognac. The mixture should be moist and soft enough to spread; if necessary, add some warm water. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the tart shell. Roll out more tart dough and cut into strips about 5mm wide. Put the strips of dough in a lattice pattern on top of the tart, so the filling shows through. Press to seal the lattice at the edges of the tart. Brush the lattice with egg whisked with a little water and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until the dough is nicely browned (if it's cooking too fast, lower the heat to 170 degrees).
