• Poppy seeds are often used to top crusty rolls.Rolls with poppy seed on plate image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
  
  A small seed derived from the poppy plant, poppy seeds come in two varieties, white and blue. Slightly larger and stronger in flavor than white poppy seeds, blue poppy seeds appear in eastern European, Dutch, Russian, Jewish, Polish and German cuisines, while white poppy seeds appear more commonly in Indian, Scandinavian and Japanese cookery. Both types of poppy seeds have a high oil content, and should be stored in the refrigerator. Toast poppy seeds to bring out their gently nut-like flavor.
  
  

Dressings

• Poppy seed dressings go quite well with strawberry fruit salads.strawberries image by Joelyn Pullano from Fotolia.com
  
  You can used dried poppy seeds to add crunch and pungency to dressings. Try swirling a teaspoon of blue or white poppy seeds into a honey-mustard salad dressing, or dashing them into cream-based dressings. Creamy poppy seed dressings pair especially well with fruit salads. You also can use both blue and white poppy seeds to balance warm dressings that have sharp onion notes or strong lemon flavors. Poppy seeds complement yogurt-based dressings as well.
  
  

Spice Blends

• White poppy seeds may be used to make lamb korma.lamb and tomato curry 2 image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
  
  White poppy seeds can be ground for use in Indian curry mixes. Poppy seed curries work well for lamb, eggplant, potato, okra, or zucchini-based dishes. White poppy seeds also appear in the Japanese spice blend shichimi togarashi, which includes ground red chili pepper, mandarin orange peel, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, seaweed, and sansho (Sichuan peppers). Shichimi togarashi may be used to augment soups, noodle dishes and rice crackers.
  
  

Sauces

• Poppy seeds sometimes appear in noodle casseroles, such as Hungarian goulash.beef goulash with maccaroni for lunch image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Poppy seeds can spice savory dishes such as noodle casseroles, fried or baked potatoes, and dumplings. Farro, a Middle Eastern grain, may be flavored with poppy seeds and olive oil. Kugel, a Jewish noodle dish, often incorporates poppy seeds as well. They also may be tossed with vegetables like asparagus, turnips and beets. Poppy seed breadcrumbs may be used to season roasted cauliflower or leek gratins.
  
  

Breads

• Poppy seeds are a popular topping for bagels.bagels image by Ivanna Buldakova from Fotolia.com
  
  After toasting, blue poppy seeds are commonly used to top breads. Egg-based washes allow poppy seeds to easily adhere to baked goods. Try using poppy seeds to adorn bagels, challah, pretzels, rolls, onion breads and bialys (hole-less bagels). They also may be used to add color and tang to crackers.
  
  

Pastries

• This poppy seed pastry has been dredged in a lemon poppy seed custard sauce.fruit dumpling with poppy seed and pudding image by kubais from Fotolia.com
  
  Poppy seeds can be used to add savor to a wide variety of pastries. Often used to create pastry fillings, blue and white poppy seeds also may top strudels, cookies and muffins. Combine poppy seeds with lemon to make delicious tarts, shortbreads and stollens (German fruitcakes).
  
  

Desserts

• Poppy seed fillings can be added to coffee cakes.bread with poppy-seed image by Andrey Chmelyov from Fotolia.com
  
  Blue poppy seeds may be stirred into coffee cakes, especially those featuring walnuts, blueberries or lemon zest. Poppy seeds also can be used as accents in pound cakes. Some Greek recipes use sweetened poppy seed mixtures as a stuffing for baklava.