Poppies are simple flowers. Until you try to cook with them.
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“Poppy” is a name used for many different species of plants, each with their own properties. In Turkish cooking, poppy syrup (gelincik şerbeti, pronounced ‘geh-lin-jeek’ ‘cher-bet-tea’) is made specifically from the petals of Papaver rhoeas, a mild, edible field flower. In North America, however, “poppy” may refer to entirely different plants, including species with sedative effects or strict legal regulation. For cooking, the distinction matters: the right poppy is safe and delicate, while the wrong one is simply not the same ingredient.
A small comment beneath a lilac syrup video, “you can make something similar with poppies” led to a surprisingly serious question.
Which poppy?
Flowers often give the impression of simplicity, but appearances can be misleading. The difficulty lies in the word itself. “Poppy” does not describe a single plant but serves as a common name for numerous species within the Papaveraceae family, each with its own culinary, medicinal, or regulatory context. Botanical databases such as Plants of the World Online catalogue dozens of species within the genus Papaver alone (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2024).
So when a recipe cheerfully suggests cooking with “poppies,” one must perform a small piece of botanical detective work. A charming flower name conceals a rather inconvenient degree of biological ambiguity.
Common plant names are quite useful in conversation. Precision, however, is another matter entirely.
Botanical nomenclature exists because ordinary language has a habit of grouping together plants that are not especially similar once examined closely. Ethnobotanical research frequently notes that a single vernacular plant name may refer to entirely different species depending on region or culture (Berlin, 1992).
Accuracy is not terribly important when simply admiring poppies in a field. But when a flower finds its way into the kitchen -particularly as a concentrated syrup, tea, or extract- species identity suddenly becomes relevant. Flavour changes. Chemical composition changes. Occasionally even legal status changes, depending not only on the species but also on which part of the plant is used.
At that point, “poppy” stops being a poetic description and becomes a potentially dangerous ingredient.
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
This is the poppy most commonly associated with medicinal use: Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy.
This species produces the latex from which opium and pharmaceutical opioids are derived and appears in drug control legislation in many countries, including Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Government of Canada, 2023).
Interestingly, the familiar poppy seeds used in baking also come from this plant. While unwashed poppy seeds can make a very potent (possibly deadly) tea, when processed for food, those seeds contain negligible alkaloids and are widely considered safe.
Still, when culinary discussions of poppy flowers intersect with a species better known for pharmaceutical derivatives, confusion is almost inevitable. That’s when botanical precision becomes a matter of practical clarity.
Anatolian “Corn/Flanders” Poppy: Gelincik (Papaver rhoeas)
In Türkiye, when someone refers to poppy sherbet (gelincik şerbeti) they are typically speaking of beverages made from the petals of Papaver rhoeas, commonly known as the corn poppy or Flanders poppy in English.
This delicate red field flower appears across Anatolia in late spring, and its petals have long been used in drinks valued primarily for their colour and gentle floral aroma. The preparation itself is rather straightforward. The petals (washed and dried) are steeped to release a vibrant crimson colour and mild aroma. No seeds are involved, no latex, and certainly nothing pharmacologically adventurous.
In culinary terms, the drink sits comfortably alongside rose, hibiscus, or lilac syrups. A remarkably innocent beverage, all things considered.
Biologically Active Compounds in Gelincik
However, it is worth noting that while these traditional preparations are appreciated mainly for their colour and flavour, Papaver rhoeas is not entirely without its own properties. Phytochemical studies have identified a range of non-opioid alkaloids (including rhoeadine) along with anthocyanins and phenolic compounds that contribute to its mild sedative effects and antioxidant profile (Ekici, 2014; Aydoğdu et al., 2023).
That said, it differs quite clearly from Papaver somniferum. Unlike that species, Papaver rhoeas does not produce morphine or related narcotic alkaloids in the way characteristic of Papaver somniferum latex. Its effects are much gentler and non-addictive (Günaydın et al., 2015).
Even so, experimental pharmacology has observed that extracts of Papaver rhoeas may interact with opioid-related pathways, including reducing certain withdrawal responses in animal models (Pourmotabbed et al., 2004). Though these findings are preliminary and best understood within their specific context, they offer a useful reminder:
Even the most delicate plants can balance a position bridging food and medicine. And it is often in these subtle overlaps that careful understanding of traditional practices becomes most valuable.
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
The complication arises when the word travels.
In North America, the name “poppy” can refer to several different plants at once, each occupying its own cultural or regulatory niche. One example is the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), a related plant within the same family but belonging to a different genus.
Herbal pharmacology literature describes this species as a mild sedative traditionally used in remedies for anxiety and sleep support (European Medicines Agency, 2015).
Botanically related, certainly.
Chemically identical, not at all.
Treating these plants as interchangeable ingredients overlooks the distinct traditions and phytochemistry associated with each species.
Translating a Cultural Reference
Fortunately, the clarification is quite simple.
The poppy used in traditional Turkish syrups is Papaver rhoeas, and the ingredient in question is specifically its petals.
In Turkish and Anatolian cuisine, where this drink originates, this detail rarely requires explanation. Cultural familiarity quietly fills in the missing information. But when the idea crosses linguistic and geographic boundaries, the absent specification suddenly becomes visible.
Cross-cultural cooking encounters this situation often. An ingredient name that is perfectly clear within one ecological context becomes ambiguous in another.
Moments like this are indispensable opportunities to translate between cultural norms to restore the scientific precision that everyday language leaves unsaid.
Cooking With Flowers…Responsibly
For anyone interested in preparing the traditional Anatolian “corn poppy” syrup, the guidelines are quite straightforward.
Identify Papaver rhoeas specifically. Avoid roadside plants or ornamental varieties that may have been treated with chemicals. Use petals only when preparing culinary infusions, washed and dried. No stamens, no buds or pods, or seeds, or leaves. Just the petals.
These precautions are consistent with the broader guidance surrounding edible flowers, where correct species identification and growing conditions determine whether a plant is suitable for food use (McGee, 2004).
Within those boundaries, the practice joins a long list of floral syrups used in Anatolian and other old cuisines of the world.
In cooking, as in botany, accurate names can prevent unnecessary trouble…
Cultural Context is Important
That simple question beneath a recipe video illustrates something much larger about how food knowledge travels.
Ingredients names must be translated through cultural boundaries before they can be used as intended. Because common names seldom carry identical meanings everywhere they go.
Ethnobotanists have long noted that plant terminology reflects local ecological familiarity rather than universal classification (Berlin, 1992). When these names circulate widely -especially online- very different botanical realities may collapse into a single word.
Translating a food tradition sometimes means restoring distinctions that can be blurred in everyday language.
Because in the end, a poppy may appear to be a simple flower.
At least until someone tries to cook with it.
References
Aydoğdu, B. İ., Tokatlı Demirok, N., & Yıkmış, S. (2023). Modeling of sensory properties of poppy sherbet by Turkish consumers and changes in quality properties during storage process. Foods, 12(16), 3114. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12163114
Berlin, B. (1992). Ethnobiological classification: Principles of categorization of plants and animals in traditional societies. Princeton University Press. https://qualquant.org/wp-content/uploads/ethnoecology/Berlin%201992.pdf
Ekici, L. (2014). Effects of concentration methods on bioactivity and color properties of poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.) sorbet, a traditional Turkish beverage. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 56(1), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2013.11.015
European Medicines Agency. (2015). Assessment report on Eschscholzia californica Cham., herba. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-references/final-list-references-supporting-assessment-eschscholzia-californica-cham-herba_en.pdf
Government of Canada. (2023). Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/fulltext.html
Günaydın, Y. K., Dündar, Z. D., Çekmen, B., Akıllı, N. B., Köylü, R., & Cander, B. (2015). Intoxication due to Papaver rhoeas (corn poppy): Five case reports. Case Reports in Medicine, 2015, 321360. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/321360
McGee, H. (2004). On food and cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen. Scribner. https://books.google.ca/books/about/On_Food_and_Cooking.html?id=6S--wG3pYZoC&redir_esc=y
Pourmotabbed, A., Rostami, B., Manouchehri, G., Pirzadeh-Jahromi, G., Sahraei, H., Ghoshooni, H., Zardooz, H., & Kamalinejad, M. (2004). Effects of Papaver rhoeas extract on the expression and development of morphine-dependence in mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 95(2–3), 431–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.022
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2024). Plants of the World Online: Papaveraceae. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000446-2
