Friday

Edible Flowers

Edible Flowers, flower blossoms or buds that can be eaten. Edible flowers are used in a variety of dishes to add flavors ranging from sweet and floral to pungent and spicy. Flowers are typically floated on soups or sprinkled on salads for color and flavor. When stuffed with spiced ricotta or cottage cheese they make a flavorful and unusual side dish. Stir-fried or deep-fried flowers are used for tasty hors d’oeuvres. Flowers often are candied or crystallized—brushed with egg white and dusted with granulated sugar and then air dried—to make sweets or to decorate desserts. Edible flowers are also used to enhance beverages, jams and jellies, butters, vinegars, and water. Most edible flowers are used in small amounts and, because they are used lightly, contribute little to a dish’s nutritional value.

Sample of edible flowers
A variety of flower blossoms are used to enhance cuisines. Calendula, also called pot marigold, is a daisy-like flower with yellow petals that impart a tangy flavor to tea, butters, soups, egg dishes, and rice. Since Roman times, calendula has been used as an affordable substitute for saffron, an expensive spice made from crocus flowers.

Day Lily, with its large, trumpet-shaped petals in a wide range of colors, is chopped and added to salads and soups. The dried buds, called golden needles, are mentioned in early Chinese writing and are still used in Asian dishes.

The orange, white, or red flowers of nasturtium have a peppery flavor and are used to enhance salads or sandwiches. The round, lobed leaves are also edible. Nasturtium’s use as a food has been credited to the ancient Persians and Peruvians.

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