cooking with psychoactive plants

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nianton

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I have always had a interest in medicinal plants since I was young. I have also been working in kitchens since I was in high school. I have always thought about incorporating psychoactive plants into cooking, but never really brought into existence. Some of these plants I'm thinking of include blue lotus(or any lilly/lotus), passion flower, wild lettuce, pedicularis, dandelion, lemon balm, calea ternifolia, and mulien just to name a few. Some of these are colourful and contain some interesting flavours. The possibilities are infinite, there is such an overwhelming variety of plants.
Any thoughts from the people?
 
I used to make blue honey (psilocybin mushrooms and local honey) but wouldn't recommend it for the general population.
 
ha, yeah maybe it would be good for special events. I was actually reading about a restaurant that was cooking with cannabis in various forms, from herb to oil to butter, and I think everything on their menu had cannabis in it in some way or another. The way I see it the dinning experience is one of the senses. we manipulate the smells, taste, feel, eyes, atmosphere. Why not take it a step further and caress the mind. The thing about these plants is the affects are subtle and wouldn't over power the other elements of the experience. I think cannabis can be overpowering and take away from some of the other senses.
 
That's a nice idea, though I doubt anyone would notice any effects from any of the plants you mention. I did once make spinokopita using, amongst other things, opium poppy greens, and we certainly felt those, though if you're going for legal herbs those would likely be ruled out.
I've always been a bit mystified by the addition of "real" drugs into food, mushrooms on pizza, space cakes, etc.. Not that I have ever taken illegal drugs of any kind or ever would, but personally I feel that getting loaded and fine dining are often complementary but in deep essence very different things.
 
I'll have to agree with Jim on this one. In my late teens early 20's, I took enough acid and mushrooms to get the population of the eastern seaboard high. No joke. Never had a bad trip. But I witnessed more people than I can remember having less than desirable experiences. Altered states aren't for everyone.
 
Dan P. said:
That's a nice idea, though I doubt anyone would notice any effects from any of the plants you mention. I did once make spinokopita using, amongst other things, opium poppy greens, and we certainly felt those, though if you're going for legal herbs those would likely be ruled out.
I've always been a bit mystified by the addition of "real" drugs into food, mushrooms on pizza, space cakes, etc.. Not that I have ever taken illegal drugs of any kind or ever would, but personally I feel that getting loaded and fine dining are often complementary but in deep essence very different things.
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I agree about unnoticeable effects. Which is what attracts me to the other plants. The subtlety of the effects I think is good as it wont take away from the rest of the experience. Just because something isn't overpowering doesn't mean its not working its magic. For instance coffee is a psychoactive plant and its not overpowering, at least for me. Cocoa is a psychoactive plant, actually in europe there is a new fad where people are snorting cocoa in clubs. So my focus is more on subtle psychoactive plants. Also some of these plants are visually pleasing.
 
Certainly it is a nice conversation (or selling) point, why not?
As an aside, I'm not sure I believe people would be so silly, but anyone snorting cocoa in a club probably deserves to snort cocoa in a club.
 
I to found the snorting of cocoa hilarious, but its a real thing. People have even gone as far as creating a device that propels the cocoa powder into the face. I don't know how it came to be.
 
There's been known cases in Europe, where poppy seeds are a common baking ingredient, of people failing drug tests (without obvious effects) after having a good portion of Mohnkuchen :) Also, cases where people got at least lightly poisoned from unfortunate combinations of poppy seed brands unexpectedly high in active compounds*, preparation methods not expecting such, and people having a low tolerance (children especially).


*some brands sell a raw, unmilled style that an inexperienced baker could mistake for a ready-to-cook product. Comes with instructions saying to rinse the stuff in a certain way, which can easily be overlooked.
 
Yes I remember reading about this when I was a kid. There where even claims that making a concentrated tea from some seeds would yield an active brew, though I kind of doubt the potency of such a brew
 
nianton said:
Yes I remember reading about this when I was a kid. There where even claims that making a concentrated tea from some seeds would yield an active brew, though I kind of doubt the potency of such a brew
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There was some kid who accidentally ended himself doing just this. I guess the tea was stronger than he thought it would be.
 
Noway, i never would hav guessed the seeds had enough alkaloids to make such a powerful brew
 
i'd be taking my most wild guess, because i have never done any drugs nor recommend any illicit drugs in any way.

However, since people have different tolerances to all kinds of drugs, ie tobacco, alcohol, coffee there have been standard measurements for people to gauge how much they want to experience. If you were going to infuse, cannabis for instance, then using a weight system of a purer form would give a more accurate amount of psychotropics being used. And I personally would go light, I don't want to run out the front doors screaming "they're are banshee's!" just because a group of elderly woman so happen to be cackling a little to loud, a little to close, for comfort. Also begs the question, when do you serve this experience? At the beginning of the meal?

If treated like alcohol we are responsible for them inevitably getting home safely, and if by default the experience to its completion.

My best guess would be a long tasting could start with this aperitif.
 
Just to be clear the plants I'm considering are not illegal. These plants are subtle effects. But yes I think it would be good to use throughout all courses and would enhance the dinning experience. My intentions would not be to intoxicate but to compliment the dinning experience.
 
nianton said:
Just to be clear the plants I'm considering are not illegal. These plants are subtle effects. But yes I think it would be good to use throughout all courses and would enhance the dinning experience. My intentions would not be to intoxicate but to compliment the dinning experience.
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IMO most psychoactive plants tend to be most active on an empty--at least not full--stomach. And the intention is meant more for pondering the quality of the meal (or whatever thoughts strike your fancy) after the fact more than to complement the experience of eating...
 
There's apparently allot of information and study out there about micro dosing. Micro dosing opens you up a tiny bit, and with certain plant materials is natural to our system. I say natural to our system because there is evidence to show that human society used them allot back in the day that we now have receptors in our brain specific for it. Some programmers, Silicon Valley, as well as some folks who write music are micro dosing. Our individual pallet is only a relative state of being, which if one wants , could be enhanced to expand the experience,,,a little bit. There is some compelling evidence to show that pasturalists(sp) and hunter gatherers used mushrooms on a few different levels, one of which is the increasing of distant vision for hunting. All this is to say that the modern world was developed because of our desire for spices, herbs and drugs,,,,, to enhance our experience of everyday life. Personally i like my carrot cake, pizza, sushi, just the way it is.
 
nianton said:
Just to be clear the plants I'm considering are not illegal. These plants are subtle effects. But yes I think it would be good to use throughout all courses and would enhance the dinning experience. My intentions would not be to intoxicate but to compliment the dinning experience.
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Datura isn't illegal and is some scary stuff
 
chinacats said:
I used to make blue honey (psilocybin mushrooms and local honey) but wouldn't recommend it for the general population.
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Man. We should become real life friends. Or should have. Whichever. Mannnn. ;)


PS. Nianton: Don't go for "legal highs" like datura, spice, etc... Just take real drugs, much safer these days.



Obviously there are moral issues with dosing people who don't know they're being dosed.

There's a fine line between a "baseline effect" dose and getting people high, if they're high you run the risk of people choking and or becoming disinterested in finishing dinner.

Would not recommend. Try sansho pepper. Try some of those magic berries. But don't cook perfectly good drugs LOL

I have made morning glory tea before, it sucks.
 
there's 4 of these billboards in the last month in Philly.."culinary arts" lol
OFmIw_D18Ei5Sx-2e24t-8AcpQ6uhrWXeR_YwTpaRWI
 
mbiraman said:
There's apparently allot of information and study out there about micro dosing. Micro dosing opens you up a tiny bit, and with certain plant materials is natural to our system. I say natural to our system because there is evidence to show that human society used them allot back in the day that we now have receptors in our brain specific for it. Some programmers, Silicon Valley, as well as some folks who write music are micro dosing. Our individual pallet is only a relative state of being, which if one wants , could be enhanced to expand the experience,,,a little bit. There is some compelling evidence to show that pasturalists(sp) and hunter gatherers used mushrooms on a few different levels, one of which is the increasing of distant vision for hunting. All this is to say that the modern world was developed because of our desire for spices, herbs and drugs,,,,, to enhance our experience of everyTay life. Personally i like my carrot cake, pizza, sushi, just the way it is.
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I think your picking up what I'm trying to put down.
Just an example of how I employed some psychoactive plants in a restaurant, we made a damiana and passionflower whiskey tea. Though not in the food, These herbs could easily be incorporated into a dish.
 
Maca flour. I guess one could call some of its effects psychoactive, similar to what one could say about caffeine. I don't care about bodybuilder milkshakes (and sadly that cult lifts prices even more than weights), but the stuff works (and I think tastes) great in baking wherever a nut or legume flour is a welcome addition.
 
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