I can hear my great grandmother giving special instructions to
the maid before going off on her numerous bathing and cleansing rituals. “Sorshe , posto bhalo kore bete raakh, ami
chan korei ranna bosiye debo” (Grind the mustard and poppy seeds properly, I
will start cooking as soon as I return from my bath). Sometimes, I squeeze my
eyes shut just for the pleasure of recapturing the sound of nora (pestle) on
the large stone slab known as shil (grinding stone). I am often tempted to
bring a miniature one back to my kitchen just to recreate that exact texture of
seed pastes so vital to Bengali vegetarian curries. Taste is not just about how
the food hits your tongue. There is a whole new science behind how we perceive
flavor and develop preferences for different food. Eating curries infused with poppy seed paste
or posto as it is known in my native West Bengal is definitely an acquired
taste. During my childhood, I can
distinctly recall a separate cooking arrangement for widows in rural Bengal. An
elderly widowed aunt or grandmother would give up their lifelong love of fish
and embrace total vegetarianism. Unlike other parts of India, Bengali
vegetarian dishes are lightly spiced with cumin, turmeric, five spices or
paanch foron, bay leaves or mustard instead of onions or garlic. The thick and satisfying taste of poppy seed
paste was perhaps a pleasant addition to this limited range of flavor enhancers.
One of the pleasures of eating as an adult comes from the
sentimental association we have from our memories of youth. After a hard day, I
often find myself reaching for things that are comforting to the soul if not
particularly helpful to the waistline. For immigrants living away from their
native land recreating the taste and smell of home foods is comforting. There
is no universally accepted ‘comfort’ food. A craving for peanut butter and jelly sandwich,
normal for the American palate will be completely alien to the Nigerian
immigrant who may be craving a hearty home cooked fufu. The desire to satisfy
our taste buds and comfort our souls is universal. Michael Proust famously begins “remembrances
of things past” with a description of biting into a small cake called a
Madeleine and being overwhelmed by sensations of prior times. While I can appreciate Proust but cannot
relate to the Madeleine, I have no such difficulty with the lucid description
of an afternoon lunch in “A strange and, sublime address” a novella by Amit Choudhuri.
There we come across a beautiful description of a typical Bengali lunch. “Rice packed
into an even white cake, had a spade like spoon embedded in it, slices of fried
aubergine were arranged on a white dish; daal was served from another pan with
a dropping ladle; long complex filaments of banana flower, exotic, botanical,
lay in yet another pan of dark sauce; each plate had a heap of salt on one
side, a green chili, and a slice of sweet smelling lemon.” To this pure Bengali
spread, aloo posto that is potatoes cooked in poppy seed paste could be a
perfect addition. I will add my recipe at the end of this article.
The origin of poppy seeds is attributed to the Western
Mediterranean region of Europe. They were known to the Greeks and it is assumed
that they reached India through the silk route by the 7th century. The seed has numerous culinary uses but the
plant is notorious for its opiate attributes. The seeds are rich in oil,
carbohydrates, calcium and protein. Posto or poppy seeds is neither a condiment
nor a spice. It falls under the category of seeds. The Indian variety is off
white in color whereas the Western type is slate blue and slightly larger in
size. Today’s Indian posto dishes share ancient
Persian origins. The Portuguese probably
brought the knowledge and use of these seeds to the Bengali cuisine. The famous Goan Chicken Xacuti pronounced as
Shacuti is cooked with poppy seeds and Kashmiri red chilies. Poppy seed paste
was used in Avadhi cooking for thickening the rich Lucknowi Shahi kurma.”
“Pospel Li Mak?” (Are the poppies ripe?) This is an East Slavic
folk song which expresses the theme of young women through the image of sowing
and planting poppy seeds. One of the ancient, Pagan Slavic rain making ritual
involves scattering poppy seeds into a well and stirring with a stick. In
Jewish bakeries today, poppy seed pastries, bagels are sold and popular with
everyone. During the Jewish festival of Purim eating hamentaschen,
a pocket triangular shaped pastry with poppy seed filling is traditional. Eating
of hamantaschen is a part of the celebration in which Jews commemorate how the
They escaped the Haman’s dastardly plans to massacre them The poppy seeds are
said to represent all the bribes that Haman collected.
One of the classic uses of poppy seed paste is in a comforting
dish called aloo posto. Variations of
the same dish could be achieved with the ridged gourd or another alternative
squash. For me pure comfort food is aloo posto combined with a kalai daal
served with steaming hot rice. This excessive fondness for poppy seed dishes
are a characteristic of Bengalis from Bankura, Birbhum or Burdwan area of West
Bengal… I can remember at least two posto dishes at lunch every day while
visiting my ancestral house in the interior of Bankura district. The paste
enhanced with onions and green chilies would be lightly sautéed
in mustard oil. Two such mid-size patties or posto baras would add a nice
nutty, crunchy taste to an otherwise plain rice and daal fare. Eating the
uncooked posto with mustard oil and green chilies was also popular during
lunch. We often visited our ancestral village in the hot summer months. Fruits
such as mangoes or jackfruits was available in excess as an accompaniment for
every meal but vegetables were in short supply. Pumpkin and bottle or ridged gourds were the
only vegetables available to us in those summer months. Adding poppy seed paste
to these vegetables definitely added a slumber factor to the post lunch siestas
I remembered from those long ago summers. Although the seeds are not narcotic,
they are known to have a slightly soporific effect if consumed in large quantities.
In my kitchen today, I tend
to stick to family favorites like aloo (potato) and jhinge posto (ridged gourd).
For variety, I may sprinkle the dry seeds on a plain stir fried spring onion
dish. (peyaj posto) This versatile paste lends flavor and creaminess to
cauliflowers, fish, chicken or eggs. A very modern twist to the endless uses of
poppy seeds can be found in a pasta tagliatelle with poppy seeds and walnuts
dish. Here I add the black poppy seeds (different from the white poppy seeds)
and roughly chopped walnuts at the end of my cooking, then toss and coat the
boiled and drained pasta before serving. I also cook the buffalo carp fish
(substitute for Indian Ruhi fish) in a mustard, poppy seed paste.
Here is a recipe for aloo posto which should be easy to follow
for our blog readers.
Ingredients:
Potato (peeled and chopped in cubes) 4
Poppy seeds: 5/6 tbsp
(ground to a fine paste)
Green chilies: 2(seeds removed)
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Salt and turmeric powder: 1 tsp each
Mustard oil: 1 tsp
Regular cooking oil: 3tbsp
Grind the poppy seeds to a fine powder and mix it with water to
make a fine paste. Using the coffee grinder will work if u do not have a
wet/dry chutney grinder. Heat the regular cooking oil, add the cumin seeds and
green chilies. Sauté the potatoes, add turmeric
powder and salt. Then add the poppy seed paste and simmer for few minutes till
the potatoes are cooked. Add the mustard
oil and turn off heat. You can serve it with hot, steamed white rice.
[RIMI PATI]
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