I was at someone´s home in Turkey recently.  The 70 year old mother of the house prepared a wonderful meal.  On the table was what looked like thin flakes of brown pastry, which I ate.  When I asked what it was I was told haş/haşhaş (I don´t know how it is pronounced or spelt as I was too busy choking at the response and everyone was laughing.

So . . . will someone please clarify?  Was I in fact, in the home of the matriarch of some mafia family, plying their trade in suspect substances?

Well it tasted fine .

 I think you ate poppy seeds - I believe there are two types (not sure) black larger seeds and tiny small grey ones - both are sprinkled ontop of breads.

Was it something like that ?

But don´t worry, it is not a drug !

I don´t think so . . . no seeds in sight (unless they were finely ground and that´s why the pastry was brown), although I have had the bread with the seeds on top too.  Poppy seeds were also often on the table, to put on food . . . well either poppy seeds or carraway, but I think poppy.

Thanks anyway 

You know PT, that is one of the beautiful things about Turkey, you never quite know what you are eating and where it came from.  There are thousands of traditional dishes, snacks and bits and bobs from various villages in the east, south, north and west.  What may seem to us as normal everyday food (when we are there eating it with a Turkish family) may never have been heard of in another town or city - amazing.  Rich is the food and food culture !

I agree, and not only rich in the food culture! But not knowing what I´m eating? Brrrrrrr..... It´ll end up I´m eating brains, intestins, eyeballs or other gross things....

 My friend is a vegetarian and she was eating it, so I knew it didn´t having anything like that in it. 

I wasn´t referring to your ´hashhash´ food. I was talking in general, that I never eat anything that I don´t know because I´m afraid it will be something yikes.

 Me too, when I´m not with my friends.  That´s the good thing about a meal where there are lots of dishes to ´self help´ from, you can leave the dishes that you aren´t sure about. 

Actually, I even met the cow who provided the milk I drank, and the yoghurt I ate (I´m referring to the animal btw )

I was just thinking do you have buffets in your country?  Anyone?

hashish seeds are used in pastry in Turkey. I have no idea how it relates to hashish as drug but it`s delicious.

take a look at these pictures

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=hashas+tohumu&btnG=Search+Images

Yes. Why? Every restaurant here is checked by a kind of FDA, so strict and so often that restaurants that are not ok will (voluntarily or not) close.

 I was just curious really.  I always worry how long something has sat out for and everyone who touches the servingware..just a little fetish of mine.

Did it look like this, PT

http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/upload/2007/06/molasses-muesli-cookies.png

Did it look like this, PT

http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/upload/2007/06/molasses-muesli-cookies.png

 Thanks Tam . . . I think that´s is what it was . . . haşhaş . . . OPIUM POPPY SEEDS!!!!!!!!    

 Apologies cacik . . . you were right  . . . poppy seeds. . . opium poppy seeds . . .

Opium seeds for sure. Now how did it taste? You mentioned the dish had a flaky substance?????

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hacibozanogullari.com.tr/resimler/urunler/ozellikler/hashas_kebap.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D179502&h=281&w=381&sz=38&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=uQFPitjPCkslDM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfood%2Bturkish%2Bhashas%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

 No Ros but thanks.  It was nothing elaborate, just  thin sheets (about 15cm across) of what loked like pastry, quite delicate to handle and light brown in colour, similar thickness to filo.  I think it was probably the haşhaş Tam mentioned.

Here is somthing you might like:

http://www.cafefernando.com/images/parmesanpoppystraw2.jpg

By the way, after you ate the Poppy Seed  dish, did you feel tired and wanted to go to sleep.

My Mom once fell asleep after she ate poppy seeds in a field. Ha, ha.

Thanks Ros.  Anyway, mystery solved I think.  Thanks everyone.

Why is this second page so wide???

i thought they made cocaine from opium! so soes taht mean if i eat it will i become high??

Perhaps it was hemp seeds. It´s used widely in cooking. It is not anything that would make you high at all. In fact it has a great deal of vitamines and minerals

Thats the seeds of hashish, its used in many floury foods especially in Aegean region. Btw drugs made from the coverings of hashish. I read somewhere it has an aphrodisiacal effect on women when they eat foods with hashish .

Well I know I ate a great many black seeds because the shaker, full of them, was always on the table at meal times and my friend said they were very nutritional.

Peace!

   Well my friends and I did get a little carried away after the meal.

 Yes we have lots of small buffets in our country... It goes great to have a sousage sandwich with mayanoise after a tiring work in the morning with no breakfast

 But very unhealthy Sui !  Hot dog with turşu, ketchup, mayo and mustard - how unhealthy, but how delicious - mmmmm hungry now!!!! 

BTW you should add american salad to the hot dog too !

It is called "Hashashli". and traditonally done in Agean and Middle-Black Sea regions.

It is a kind of chorek/pastry/bread and quite yummy. Flour, water, salt, oil and pounded hashash seeds are used to make it.

Hashash seeds are a normal vegeterian material used in traditional dishes/pastries. AND IT IS NOT A DRUG. There are two types of Hashash seeds; one black and grey. Both types are used in the kitchens if they are pounded.

My mother does it quite frequently and I love it. I hope my wife will learn it. Althought She learned to bake "Keshkek", I do not think she will learn to bake "Hashasli".

(And "Baklali Yaprak Sarmasi") these three are famous Amasya dishes.

 Thanks WW.  I was quite sure I wasn´t eating a drug, but my friends were teasing me.

İ have almost the same question of the thread

What do you call this ?

...

We call it Konafa,and we make it sweet,i heard they make it  also in Türkiye but with cheese !

Yes ?

 Künefe!

 Wow!

Ok,Kadayıf,do they make it sweet ?

Or also with cheese ?

Thats our Katayıf

And its sweet .

We call this wonderful Turkish sweet "KADAYIF".

"TEL KADAYIFI".

We also call it "CEVİZLİ -walnut-  ya da -or-  FISTIKLI -peanut-  VE -and- KAYMAKLI -creamy- TEL KADAYIFI".

KÜNEFE is made with hot cheese.