IngredientsBaking
Mohn, gemahlenground poppy seed
The tiny seeds of Papaver somniferum, blue grey and very oily. For baking it is the culinary type, usually the blue one.
Ground, then simmered with milk and sugar, it becomes the filling for Mohnkuchen and Mohnstrudel and the sauce for Germknödel.
Mahlengrinding
Grind it the day you bake. Almost half the seed is oil, and once ground it turns rancid and bitter within a few weeks.
Ground too coarse, the filling stays gritty and tastes of nothing. Run the mill too long and it warms up, and the seed smears into an oily paste. Grind in short bursts and check between them.
Kaufenwhere to buy
Baking supply shops and Mercado Libre. Supply comes and goes: some weeks it is there, some weeks not.
Buy whole seed rather than ready ground. Sealed in the fridge it keeps; open in a cupboard it does not.
Vorsichtcareful
Import and sale are partly restricted in Mexico because the plant is regulated. Ask locally before ordering a large amount.
There is no real substitute. For Germknödel you can fall back on ground nuts with sugar, but then it is a different dish.