Vincent van Gogh, Still Life: Red Poppies and Daisies (1890), oil on canvas, 65 x 50 cm, Private Collection

The Post-Impressionist pioneer of Expressionism, Vincent van Gogh, suffered from mental illness which may have been due in part to his love of absinthe and lead poisoning (at that time all paints were lead based). In the beginning of his career his palette was somber and muted. It was after meeting Impressionist painters, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin that his work began to lighten in colour and movement. It was during his time in mental institutions that the famous swirls began to appear in his work (1). van Gogh’s still life pantings often featured sunflowers and he returned to the subject over two distinct periods, the Paris Sunflowers (1886-1888) and the Arles Sunflowers (1888-1889) (2). The curving lines found in the flowing leaves of Still Life: Red Poppies and Daisies (1890) are characteristic of the work produced during van Gogh’s stay in Saint-Rémy. It was during this period that van Gogh also produced the well-known painting, The Starry Night (1889) (view here), also exhibiting his swirling brushstrokes.

It is the seeds from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, that are used for culinary purposes. They are commonly baked into rolls and sweet breads in addition to coating the exterior of bagels. The seeds can be finely ground to use as a filling for pastries. The Joy of Cooking states, “the most desirable [seeds] come from Holland and are a slate-blue color.” The seeds can also be pressed to make poppyseed oil which is very popular as a salad dressing (3). My recipe for the very dense and rich bread was adapted from one for pound cake and it seems to be a cross between the British and French versions of the dish. In the UK dried fruits of sultanas are added (I opted for seeds instead) and in France, lemon is added to their quatre-quarts mixture (4).

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

adapted from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum
makes 1 loaf

3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB lemon zest
3 TB poppy seeds
4 TB butter, softened

Lemon syrup
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 c superfine sugar

Combine the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the softened butter and mix well. Slowly incorporate the egg mixture and mix until you have a thick batter.

Pour into a prepared bread pan. Place in a preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for 30-40 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil for the first 2/3 of the cooking time. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool.

Heat the lemon juice and superfine sugar in a small sauce pan. Swirl the pan until the mixture begins to bubble and is slightly reduced. Prick the top of the bread with a toothpick and slowly pour the lemon syrup over the bread. Serve chilled or warm with blueberry honey butter.

Blueberry Honey Butter

1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter

Heat the blueberries and 2 TB of the honey in a small saucepan until the mixture has reduced by half (takes about 3 minutes of constant stirring).

Add the remaining honey and softened butter. Mix well with an electric hand mixer to make light and fluffy. Place in refrigerator to set.