Three Things You Need To Know About Poppy Seeds
Poppy seeds have many uses in the kitchen and are a perennial favorite to use in home baked goodies such as cookies, muffins, pies, cakes, and more. These tiny seeds offer a delicate-but-defined crunch and a soft, nutty flavor. Most people, however, just think of them as incidental embellishments to sprinkle over muffins, but poppy seeds are much more. The following are three things that most people don't realize about poppy seeds.
Poppy Seeds Aren't Just for Sweet Treats
Even though poppy seeds are almost synonymous with sweet treats, you can also use them to add a delicious, unique accent to savory dishes. For instance, you can use them in a warm pasta salad along with walnuts or almonds, and they make a great addition to the mixture when you're making a herb-and-spice crusted roast lamb. You can also stir them into pancake batter or sprinkle them over oatmeal for an extra layer of crunch and flavor at breakfast. Be creative in the kitchen, and you'll undoubtedly discover many more culinary uses for poppy seeds.
Poppy Seeds Are Nutritious
Although most home cooks and chefs consider poppy seeds to be for additional flavor and texture, they are also tiny powerhouses of nutrition. Along with an abundance of dietary fiber, poppy seeds contain significant amounts of B-complex vitamins and important minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, and zinc. Poppy seeds are also high in oleic acid, which is a dietary compound that serves to keep bad cholesterol levels down. They are also rich in heart-healthy omega-3 acids and contain linoelic acid, which helps alleviate abdominal discomfort and distress and may help prevent disorders of the cardiovascular system.
Poppy Seeds Make Great Topical Moisturizers
Poppy seeds aren't just for use in meal preparation, however — you can use them to make beauty products such as moisturizer by grinding them up using a handheld spice grinder and mixing the resulting paste with some milk and honey. Poppy seeds also have anti-inflammatory properties, which makes these creams ideal for those suffering from psoriasis or other inflammatory conditions such as poison oak or poison ivy and are especially effective with the addition of a little lime juice. You can also leave them whole and mix them with your favorite cream to create an excellent exfoliator. Please feel free to contact a reputable online food distributor at your earliest convenience for more information on how to use poppy seeds both in and out of the home kitchen.