Oilseeds

Cannabis Sativa is a plant native to Central Asia cultivated since the Neolithic and considered sacred to many Hindu populations. Belonging to the family of Cannabaceae, the seeds of varieties authorized by the European Union for their low content of cannabinoids represent a natural food rich in beneficial properties. Characterized by a delicate nutty flavour, these seeds can be added as garnish or ingredient for salads, fruit salads, smoothies, vegetable creams or with muësli. Also, they are perfect for decorating desserts, preparing bread, breadsticks and other baked goods.

Obtained from the Salvia Hispanica plant that grows wild in Mexico and the Andean regions, Chia seeds are widespread and used throughout Central and South America, where they were known already at the time of pre-Columbian civilisations. Very small, crunchy and with a pretty neutral flavour, chia seeds can be eaten for breakfast added to muësli and to fruit and vegetable smoothies. They can also be used as an ingredient for the homemade preparation of wholemeal bread, as a condiment for salads, or as a decorative and nutritious element in canapés with pate or fresh vegetable spreads.

Belonging to the Asteraceae family, this plant was domesticated around 1000 BC. from the Indios of northern Mexico who considered it the image of the god of the sun of which they used to make reproductions in gold.
Slightly roasted (and, if desired, salted), sunflower seeds can be a healthy snack or added to muesli. Besides, they can be used for the preparation of pesto or spreads and are an excellent ingredient to add to salads, rice or cereal-based dishes, soups or soups. Finally, they are excellent for home-made bread and other baked products, such as crackers or breadsticks.

Annual herbaceous plant of the Linaceae family, flax is characterised by beautiful and delicate blue flowers, while the fruits are capsules containing the small seeds of colour that can vary from yellow to brown. Flax has been cultivated since the dawn of civilisation, especially for obtaining fabric, and was already identified by Hippocrates as a plant with extraordinary curative power, in particular for the emollient and protective properties of the seeds. One of the peculiarities of flax seeds is the presence of mucilages, complex carbohydrates that play a soothing action on the tissues of the intestine and stimulate motility thanks to their ability to absorb water and swell.

Being the taste of flax seeds very neutral and delicate, in the kitchen can be used as such or crushed with pestle and mortar and, like most oilseeds, flax seeds are perfect for enriching salads, soups, muësli or the dough of homemade bread. They are excellent together with other ingredients for carminative or laxative teas. Finally, thanks to its peculiar characteristics, flax seeds are also often used in cosmetics and hair care.

Poppy seeds are obtained from the capsules of Papaver somniferum, annual plant of the family Papaveraceae and one of the first spices grown by man. Poppy seeds are particularly common in Europe, India – especially in the Moghul and Bengal cuisine where they are often used in sauces and condiments – and in Japan where the ground seeds enter the composition of the Shichimi togarashi mixture. In our local cuisine, they are excellent especially as an additional and decorative ingredient in the preparation of homemade bread, crackers, cakes and biscuits and are among the typical components often used in strudel, bagels and pretzels. They can, however, also enrich the muësli for breakfast, smoothies, couscous, bulgur and rice salads or serve as a garnish for veloutés and soups.

In the kitchen, sesame seeds are a versatile ally of a thousand uses. They are the main ingredient for the preparation of tahini sauce, a Middle Eastern seasoning usually used to accompany falafel, but also of Gomasio, an excellent alternative from the Japanese tradition to cooking salt. You can also add them to summer salads or soups and can also be incorporated into the mixture of bread, breadsticks and crackers or use them to make the breading and to gratin the vegetables. Finally, along with honey, sesame is a common ingredient for desserts, especially in North African gastronomy.

Sesame is an annual herbaceous plant of the Pedaliaceae family, which was cultivated already 5000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent. In addition to being used for medicinal, cosmetic and religious purposes, it is an essential food that finds space in a wide range of recipes. Thanks to the strong presence of calcium, sesame seeds are incredibly beneficial for the bones so much to be considered natural supplements; moreover, they possess potent antioxidant properties thanks to their content of phytic acid and lignans.ya que se consideran suplementos naturales de este elemento. También, poseen fuertes propiedades antioxidantes gracias a su contenido de ácido fítico y lignanos.

Pumpkin seeds are harvested from the fruits of some plants of the Cucurbitaceae family. In the kitchen represent an excellent ingredient in both natural and roasted or salted version. Moreover, as well as other oilseeds, they can be ground to obtain a kind of flour or soaked to get vegan butter. A natural and very nutritious food, pumpkin kernels represent a tasty snack but can also be used to enrich the muësli in yoghurt in the morning, to flavour salads and vegetable soups, in bread dough and focaccia. Finally, they are also excellent for the preparation of biscuits and energy bars, combined with other seeds and dried fruit.