The recent parliamentary debate about the role played by our troops in Afghanistan was surprising. For everything that was said on all sides, one key issue was overlooked. There was support for defence personnel, and a gruff stance on terrorism. Many politicians expressed satisfaction at the assistance we can offer to this fledgling and faltering democracy, and for the humanitarian work undertaken by Australian charities that has provided hope and help for many.

Yet against this backdrop of rhetoric, nothing of substance was said about opium.

Opium is Afghanistan's chief cash crop, worth a staggering $64 billion last year, and occupies more land area than all the cocoa grown in Latin America. But the real kicker is that since the 2001 invasion, opium production has more than doubled. For all the good work we have done elsewhere, in this regard we and our allies have failed.

But Afghanistan is not the world's biggest producer of opium poppies, not by a long way. That honour goes to the Czech republic, with more than half the world's supply. The key difference is that while unregulated and illicit Afghan opium becomes dirty heroin, the Czech industry produces opium for medicinal morphine, and culinary poppy seeds for bakeries around the world.

That's right, your local patisserie is dealing in an opium derivative, because all edible poppy seeds come from the opium poppy. While there are hundreds of poppy varieties, only the opium poppy produces oil seed for human consumption.

Growing up in a Hungarian family, there was always 'beigli' for special events. This traditional poppy seed scroll cake is one of the high points of Central European cooking. Rich and syrupy, the poppy seed flavour lingers. The taste is slightly smoky, with an aroma of toasted nuts. With their high oil content they help keep cakes fresh for longer and add moisture for extra shelf life.

Poppy seeds can be toasted (much like other seeds or nuts) to change their flavour, but are also great eaten raw.

As for the oft-quoted urban myth that poppy seeds can give a false positive drug test for opiates? Well it's true! The seeds contain the same alkaloid as is found in the pharmaceutical opium resin, and will be detected in any drug test. However, the narcotic effect is not present. As part of broader anti-drug stances, poppy seeds are banned in several countries (Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UAE) with lengthy jail sentences on offer for possession.

Who knew that a bagel could get you into so much trouble!

Go to Fast Ed's Hungarian Poppy Seed & Walnut Cake recipe.

See all of Fast Ed's recipes.

This article kindly provided by Fast Ed. It first appeared in The Manly Daily.