[Sca-cooks] poppyseeds?

[pleves1 at po-box.mcgill.ca]

Dalby mentions poppy seeds in page 75 of 'Flavours of Byzantium'; he's referring
to, without quoting directly, Simeon Seth, saying that 'poppy seeds with honey
[were good for the semen] but on the other hand poppy seed could cause
headache'. In page 78, he mentions that bread could be sprinkled with sesame or
poppy seed (still referring to Simeon Seth, 'On the properties of Food')

It is fortunate I brought the book to work today :-)

Still talking about Byzantium, Henry Marks may have mentioned poppy seeds as
well in 'Byzantine Cuisine'. It's at home, I think he actually gives out a
recipe for a poppy seed and honey sweet. I'll check this out tonight.

I seem to recall that Weaver/Dembinska mention poppy seeds in 'Food and Drink in
Medieval Poland'. How reliable the information found therein has been a subject
of past discussions, however...


Petru