Poppy milk
Encyclopedia
Poppy milk is a traditional Lithuania
n drink or soup, one of the 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper Kūčios
. Usually it is eaten together with kūčiukai
, another traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve dish.
s are needed. The poppy seeds are soaked in some hot water for a day or so, changing the water from time to time, until the seeds become soft. Then the poppy seeds are crushed in a food processor (or with a pestle in a mortar), until a white liquid comes out. Some cold water is added (preferably water that has been boiled, and cooled), and the poppy seeds are strained and crushed once more. This process is repeated several times in order to get a good poppy milk concentrate. Finally, the poppy milk concentrate is diluted with some cold boiled water (the quantity of the water used, is a matter of taste, and certain family preferences, but the flavor of the poppy seeds should be pronounced). Finally, some sugar or honey is added to sweeten the poppy seed milk.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n drink or soup, one of the 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper Kūčios
Kucios
Kūčios is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Lithuania, held on the twenty fourth of December. The meal is a family occasion which includes many traditions of both pagan and Christian origin...
. Usually it is eaten together with kūčiukai
Kuciukai
Kūčiukai is a traditional Lithuanian dish served on Kūčios, the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Lithuania. They are small slightly sweet pastries made from leavened dough and poppy seeds. There are variations in sweetness and, though usually served soaked in poppy seed milk, they can also be...
, another traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve dish.
The drink
To make poppy milk, one or two glasses of poppy seedPoppy seed
Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy . The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years...
s are needed. The poppy seeds are soaked in some hot water for a day or so, changing the water from time to time, until the seeds become soft. Then the poppy seeds are crushed in a food processor (or with a pestle in a mortar), until a white liquid comes out. Some cold water is added (preferably water that has been boiled, and cooled), and the poppy seeds are strained and crushed once more. This process is repeated several times in order to get a good poppy milk concentrate. Finally, the poppy milk concentrate is diluted with some cold boiled water (the quantity of the water used, is a matter of taste, and certain family preferences, but the flavor of the poppy seeds should be pronounced). Finally, some sugar or honey is added to sweeten the poppy seed milk.