The Science of Spice

Flavour Group | UNIQUE COMPOUNDS | Poppy 199

When heated, amino acids and sugars

in the seeds react with each other to

produce new flavour compounds, most

importantly pyrazines.

Temperatures over 130°C (2 66°F) are needed

to create new compounds, but burnt, bitter

flavours will predominate over 175°C (347°F),

due to the small seed size and fragile oils.

RELEASE THE FLAVOUR

Poppy seeds contain a particularly

diverse range of amino acids, which

means that, when toasted, they produce

a remarkable mix of sweet, earthy, nutty,

onion-like, and smoky flavours.

BLENDING SCIENCE

Poppy seeds are rich in linoleic acid, which makes the taste buds more sensitive to pleasant sweet,

salty, and savoury tastes, while dampening down bitterness. The seeds are also packed with green

and grassy aldehyde flavour compounds, in particular 2-pentylfuran and hexanal. Other important

flavour compounds include balsamic vinyl amyl ketone, and citrusy limonene.

Kitchen

creativity

Poppy seeds lend themselves to a variety of dishes, from pickles and kormas to cakes,

bagels, and buns. The blue-grey seeds are used in central and eastern European and

Middle Eastern cuisines, and the creamy-yellow seeds are used in Asian cooking.

enhance underlying

green notes:

chillies, particularly

the mild varieties,

contain the freshness

of hexanal, and add

warmth

bay is a good

match thanks to it

also carrying some

leafy hexanal

pair with spices

that contain vinyl

amyl ketone or

enhance its flavour:

mahleb contains

vinyl amyl ketone and

adds cherry notes

liquorice is

strongly sweet with

penetrating aniseed

cinnamon

contributes sweet,

warming qualities

pair with another

limonene to enhance

the zesty side:

coriander also

brings gentle floral

qualities

emphasize the

sweet nutty flavours

of toasted seeds:

sesame seeds

also contain hexanal

and, once toasted,

harmonize with

the pyrazine flavours

paprika brings

earthy sweetness;

smoked varieties work

particularly well with

toasted poppy seeds

VINYL AMYL

KETONE

earthy | creamy |

musty

HEXANAL AND

2-PENTYLFURAN

fruity | green |

grassy

LIMONENE

citrus | herby |

turpentine

PYRAZINES

nutty | caramel |

smoky

Microscopic ridges

increase surface area

to produce more

new compounds

FOOD PARTNERS

Vegetables Sprinkle the black seeds over potato purée or

celeriac remoulade to add visual and textural contrast. Scatter

over carrots before roasting.

Sweet bakes Give the moist crumb of an almond and lemon

or orange cake a nutty crunch by adding a spoonful of seeds to the

batter. Combine with honey and drizzle over baklava.

Pastry Add a spoonful of seeds to savoury shortcrust pastry

dough for a quiche or a cheese and leek tart.

Fruit Add to a honey and citrus dressing for fruit salad.

Oily fish Ground white seeds work well with Indian spices

to make a sauce for trout or salmon.

Sugar

Amino acid

Pyrazine

130ºC (266ºF) –

175ºC (347ºF)

POPPY

Po

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