Poppy Seeds are tiny nutty tasting, blue-gray seeds inside capsules on Papaver somniferum, a yellowish brown opium plant indigenous to the Mediterranean. Poppy Seeds are used to flavor breads, cakes, rolls, and cookies in European and Middle Eastern cooking. In Turkey, they are often ground and used in desserts. In India, the seeds are ground and used to thicken sauces. The seeds are also used in noodle, fish, and vegetable dishes in Jewish, German, and Slavic cooking. These seeds like other dried seeds may germinate under proper conditions. However, herb and spice seeds sold by Frontier are not intended for sprouting purposes and in many cases will not germinate. They also have a high oil content, and although the oil is relatively stable while the seed is intact, refrigeration will slow the oxidation process and prolong the life of the seed.