The land of the poppy eaters – that might be a becoming identify for Bengal, given the portions of poppy seed we devour within the state. Placeas poppy seed known as in Bengali, or khus khus in Hindi, is taken into account a delicacy. The white seeds are soaked in water and floor to a paste, which is then added to greens, leading to a creamy, nutty coating. Sometimes the soaked seeds are floor and blended with inexperienced chillies and somewhat rice flour, formed into small truffles or tikkis, fried, and served with dal.
Poppy seed is so commonplace in Bengali delicacies – and held in such excessive regard – that I virtually took a packet as a present for my hosts in Singapore. Thankfully, I didn’t. I used to be later knowledgeable that poppy seeds are banned in Singapore and carrying them might have led to my arrest, and probably a really prolonged keep behind bars.
This brings us to a bigger query: why is consuming poppy seeds thought-about prison or frowned upon in some international locations?
In India, we use white poppy seeds. In the United States of America, lemon cake with black poppyseed is in style; these seeds are virtually unattainable to seek out in India. Trust me, I’ve tried. While many Indian communities use khus khus of their delicacies, Bengalis have made it practically a staple. During the Mughal interval, poppy seeds had been even utilized in kissesa candy, leavened bread the place they had been kneaded into the dough together with sugar, formed into flatbreads, and deep-fried.
Singapore’s ban stems from the truth that the capsule of the poppy flower is the supply of opium, often called Opion in Greek, opyle in Arabic, ahiphena in Sanskrit, and aphin in Hindi. Opium was dropped at India by the Arabs across the eleventh or twelfth century, and shortly, areas like Uttar Pradesh and Malwa turned centres of opium manufacturing. In 1511, a Florentine agent and service provider, Giovanni di Empoli, recorded that Portuguese admiral Albuquerque chanced upon opium aboard eight captured ships from Gujarat.
By 1516, Barbosa had listed opium as a key export from India. In 1668, French traveller François Bernier noticed that the Rajputs consumed opium as a stimulant on the eve of a battle –– this will likely clarify why they misplaced most of them. Jesuit priest Father Monserrate referred to poppy seed not as khus khus, however by the older time period “post,” from which the Bengali posto is derived.
By now, I’m assuming it’s clear that opium was of nice significance to India and was closely consumed by the haves, if not the have-nots.
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Singapore’s ban stems from the truth that the capsule of the poppy flower is the supply of opium, often called Opion in Greek, opyle in Arabic, ahiphena in Sanskrit, and aphin In no. (Photo: ha11ok from pixabay)
During Akbar’s reign, the poppy transitioned from being a medical plant to being a leisure drug. A royal decree elevated cultivation, and the crimson flower began appearing as a motif in royal textiles. The dried white seeds, fashioned after the opium-rich latex had been extracted and which comprise negligible narcotic properties, additionally entered the royal kitchens.
Khus khus is often used as a thickener for gravies, including a nutty flavour and creamy texture. Even at this time, it stays an costly ingredient. Wars have been fought over poppy seeds, novels written on the ocean of poppies which drowned India, particularly when the British found the massive marketplace for unlawful opium in China. The East India Company, ever resourceful, monopolised the opium commerce in India. By the tip of the nineteenth century, wood chests stuffed with opium balls had been being ferried to China, and the EIC was preventing the opium wars to grab an offshore base at Hong Kong and safeguard its profitable narcotics empire.
Where there’s demand, provide follows. Massive tracts of agricultural land within the Bengal Presidency had been transformed into limitless poppy fields. This is what resulted within the ample use of posto in Bengal. The dried poppy seeds left over after opium extraction had been thought-about waste till the ingenious Bengali housewife discovered a use for them. She found that when floor, the seeds had a nutty flavour and creamy texture, particularly when blended with mustard oil, chillies or onions, or cooked with boiled potatoes or gourd. Posto can be alleged to have a cooling impact on the physique, making it preferrred for Bengal’s sweltering summers.
I don’t know whether or not poppy seed, when consumed within the beneficiant quantities most well-liked by Bengalis, really has a sedative impact, however it would possibly clarify our love of a day nap.
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This is a pleasant, albeit barely costly, ingredient. And when you’ve mastered the way to prepare dinner with it, there’s no turning again.
Here is one among my best and hottest recipes for alu posto or potato with poppy seed. Do attempt it.
Go pesto
Ingredients
• 500 gms potato – reduce into cubes and boiled
• 1 massive onion – sliced positive
• 75 gms of poppy seed – soaked in water
• 4 inexperienced chillies
• ½ teaspoon nigella seed/ kalo jeera/ kalonji
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons mustard oil
Method
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1. Make a thick paste of the soaked poppy seeds utilizing a mixer-grinder.
2. Heat as much as 3 tablespoons of oil in a deep pan.
3. Add the nigella seeds.
4. Add the onions and sauté until they turn out to be translucent.
5. Add the potatoes and sauté together with the inexperienced chillies, salt and sugar.
6. Finally, add the poppy seed paste and make sure that all of the potatoes are evenly coated within the paste.
7. Cook for 4-5 minutes, including a tablespoon of water.
8. Finally, add 1 tablespoon of Mustard oil and take away from the warmth.
9. Alu posto normally has a really thick gravy coating the potatoes. Serve with scorching rice.
Next week, I’ll write concerning the wonders of Kashmiri meals and why it’s not simply restricted to rogan josh and yakhni, together with some recommendations on the place to purchase Kashmiri elements in Delhi.
