Help your bones by adding less traditional combinations to your diet. Try poppy seed with beetroot or blue cheese or make original milk. Accept an invitation for an original treat served only in one place. Sometimes it is worth having a poppy seed smile.
Lenka Petríková, the nutritionist, recommends poppy seeds for their numerous benefits, such as high fiber content. Calcium strengthens bones, copper aids in the transfer of nutrients, and the body benefits from folic acid, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. “Poppy seeds contain even more calcium than conventional milk.”
If you want something even more interesting, Lenka added a recipe for poppy milk. “I strongly recommend it to people with milk protein allergy. It will provide them with the necessary calcium intake.”
To make poppy seed milk, you will need a cup of poppy, three cups of water, and a pinch of salt. Add vanilla or honey to taste. Put the poppy in a large container and add cold water and salt. Blend it and let infuse for six hours. Then strain the mixture through a strainer or gauze. Store the poppy seed milk in the refrigerator.
“Poppy seeds are beneficial for diabetics, as they help them regulate their glucose levels. On the contrary, those who have digestive problems or reflux should avoid it.”
Gabriel Kocák, a chef, comments that poppy seeds have an important place in gastronomy in Slovak culture. It is an unforgettable part of desserts and various sweet and savory dishes. “There are foods that are simply not subject to trends, and poppy is unrivaled among them. It can be used in dressings, sauces, marinades, meat, fish, and pastries. “As Gabriel added, he also recommends classics, such as beautifully puffy and baked poppy seed pancakes. But we can also try something less traditional. “Everyone has different tastes, but interesting is, for example, the combination of poppy and beetroot, poppy and cheeses with blue mold, but also poppy with mango or the more famous combination of poppy, chocolate, and chili.”
He also recalled the important fact that, of course, unground poppy seeds are used, even from non-traditional poppy varieties such as ochre or white poppy heads.
And while we’re still talking about delicious treats, how about a poppy seed Bratislava roll? Did you know that the Bratislava roll (including the walnut one) began its famous story at the end of the 18th century. It is St. Nicholas Day, the 6 of December 1785 and the baker Viliam Scheuemann offers a specialty called Pressburg Bajgel in his bakery on Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava for the first time. The distinctive taste and aroma “reached” Vienna or Budapest, where this delicacy is known as Pressburger kipfel and Pozsoyni kifli. And you can even buy an original Bratislava roll at a Parisian café on the Rue de Presbourg. And when you have a fresh Bratislava roll with your coffee, even at home, take note of its shape. The one with nut filling should have the shape of a crescent, and the poppy seed one should be in the shape of a horseshoe.
The tradition of using poppy seeds is also common in Slovakia’s neighbor, the Czech Republic. We invite you to try “čápi s mákem,” which means poppy seed storks. Doesn’t the name sound like a good title for a comedy? They are actually poppy seed and plum dumplings, served at the central Bohemian chateau Loučeň. The original recipe, brought by the nobleman Alexander Thurn-Taxis from his exotic travels, is strictly guarded, so you can’t buy the original dish anywhere else. Today, these dumplings are even listed in the Czech specialties database.
Text: Eva Vašková, photos: Pexels
