A delicious dish garnished with flowers - a dream, right? Blossoms are simply a highlight on the plate. But which ones are actually edible and what do they taste like?
In the kitchen, edible flowers are an optical brightener for every dish. In fact, there are even more buds you can consume than meets the eye. First and foremost, one might assume that the flowers are mainly used in the kitchen because of their appearance. In addition, however, most flowers have a very unique taste, which can enhance many a dish. Some of them taste spicy, others are tart, and others are sweet.
The variety of different species allows a high degree of design, which is why edible flowers should not be missing in any kitchen. Neither for main dishes nor for dessert. Of course, they also smell and thus appeal to several senses.
Should edible flowers have certain requirements?
First and foremost, it is important that the flowers are not sprayed if you want to eat them. It is therefore not advisable to simply collect the flowers during a walk and prepare them afterwards.
However, most of the species mentioned in the following paragraph can be planted very easily in your own garden. This way, you'll also keep a close eye on how they've grown and most importantly, what they've been treated with.
Which flowers can you eat?
If you do more research, you will find that more flowers are suitable for human consumption than you might think at first glance. However, you should not blindly access it. So here is a list of edible flowers that you can safely consume under the right conditions:
| Plant species | Flavour | suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Forget-me-nots | little taste of its own | • Salads • Soups |
| marigolds | no strong taste of its own | • Salads • Soups |
| wild garlic | spicy and aromatic | • Salads • Fish dishes • Vinegar |
| Lavender | hearty aroma | • Desserts • Lavender syrup • Fish dishes • Lavender jam • Lavender lemonade |
| Apple Blossoms | fruity floral | • Jam • Syrup |
| Roses | intense flavor | • Salads • Soups • Desserts |
| dandelion | sweet taste | • Cakes and Pies • Soups • Dandelion Tea • Salad • Jelly and Jam • Dandelion Honey |
| Jasmine | intense sweet taste | • Tea • Desserts • Ice Cream |
| Daylilies | subtly spicy taste | • Salad • Rice dishes • Ice cream |
| Violet | mild and sweet in taste | • Salads |
| Zucchini Blossoms | floral taste | • Meat and fish dishes • Fillings for dishes |
| Chives | slightly hot taste | • Meat and fish dishes • Salads • Desserts |
| borage | Cucumber Flavor | • Salads • Meat dishes |
| Sunflowers | little taste of its own | • Salads |
| Nasturtium | spicy hot taste | • Sandwich Filling • Salad |
| Ice Begonias | very fresh taste | • Punch • Desserts • Sweets |
| Dahlias | cabbage flavor | • Liqueur |
| Magnolias | slightly bitter taste | • Rice pudding • Salads |
| Daisies | spicy taste | • Salads |
| Woodruff | intensely sweet taste | • Woodruff syrup • Woodruff pudding • Woodruff punch • Woodruff liqueur |
There are also numerous other flowers that you can eat. This includes, for example, sage, which is known in every kitchen because of its leaves and which can be used for different dishes. In addition to its leaves, its flowers are also edible.
You should be careful with the cowslip. Because it contains saponins, which irritate the stomach. It is therefore recommended that you only consume them to a limited extent. Peonies, on the other hand, are poisonous and should therefore not be eaten. Other flowers, such as the cornflower, give different dishes a great color and tastebut relatively inconspicuous.
Prepare edible flowers correctly
In order to use the flowers in the kitchen, you should first prepare them. The best way to do this is as follows:
❶
First shake out flowers to remove insects and other particles. Then wash off if necessary. By the way, they keep for a few hours in the water.
❷
Now remove the stems, sepals and pistils along with the stamens of the flowers. In the case of roses, you should also remove the base of the blossom, as this is very bitter.
❸
The flowers can now be used in various dishes.
Processing flowers in various dishes
Edible blossoms are not only useful as decoration or as full blossoms. Thanks to their scent and taste, they are also wonderful to work with. The fresh ingredients are particularly good in:
- Vinegar
- Oil
- Herb Butter
- cream cheese
- Jam
- Jelly
- candied
It is also possible to put them in ice cubes, for example, and thus present a perfect decoration at parties. Great side effect: the flowers can be eaten after the ice cube has thawed.
Our tip: dry edible flowers
Edible flowers can also be dried wonderfully and used in the kitchen at any time of the year. Even when dried, the flowers are an absolute highlight on the plate - both visually and in terms of taste.
Conclusion:
Basically, when it comes to edible flowers, it's just a matter of experimenting with which dishes they go well with. You do not necessarily have to follow the recommendations given above. Thanks to their own taste, some types of flowers can also be used in completely different creations. Anyone who likes to experiment here might discover one or the other taste experience in this way.