9 Edible Flowers That Are A Perfect Treat For Your Taste Buds
Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.
― Luther Burbank
From being the most eloquent gift to touch the right chord of your special one to the most beautiful centrepiece to heavenize your home, flowers play a significant role to make your life happier. You all know that how flowers can turn your garden into a paradise and how they can heal wounds but but do you know that flowers can also add the most exotic flavors to your cuisines and make them more appealing?
Scroll below to know about some of the amazing edible flowers and their culinary use that dates back to thousands of years:
1.Roses
The world’s most popular flower is also a great edible flower which can soothe your senses by its flavors. As you all know, edible roses come in a variety of joyful colors and it is believed that the darkest rose petals give the most authentic flavors that can accentuate the taste of various cuisines. However, edible rose petals are mainly used to flavor honey, beverages, and prepare jams.
2.Lavender
Cooking with Lavender can be really gratifying for you as they can be used in almost everything from delicious desserts to refreshing cocktails and even main course. Lavender are mainly known for their fragrance and a rejuvenating flavor. Thus, these aromatic eating flowers are used in sweet delicacies like ice cream, beverages, and also sauces.
3.Hibiscus
Also known as Shoe-flower, Hibiscus is a world-renowned edible flower which is highly considered good for health. The flavor of this flower is similar to that of cranberry and thus, Hibiscus is used abundantly as an enhancer to make refreshing cocktails. This flower is also known for its anti-oxidant properties which are even higher than found in green teas. This is the reason why consuming Hibiscus tea is in vogue these days.
4.Dandelion
With a sweet taste, Dandelion blooms are completely consumable. You can even eat this flower raw but people often prefer steamed Dandelions. If you want to add some colors to your salad, you can garnish your salad with these flowers. They are also used to garnish other dishes like pasta, in fritters and also to flavor wine.
5.Viola
Available in a variety colors, these blooms are one of the best garnishing elements. Violas have a sweet taste and flavor and are thus used in preparing a wide number of sweet delicacies like cake, jams, ice cream, tarts and also butter. Apart from garnishing salads, violas are also used to flavor vinegar, oil, beverages and teas.
6.Zucchini
Zucchini is the most flavorful among all the squash blooms. They can be eaten raw as a garnishing element in a salad. However, Zucchinis are also use in a number of savories like breads, muffins, spaghetti, pizza, lasagna etc. One of the crowd favorite dish that contains Zucchini is Zucchini fries which are absolutely mouthwatering.
7.Clover
These rich-in-nutrients flowers have a sweet flavor. Red and white clovers are usually used in a number of cuisines to infuse flavors. White clover has a vanilla-like flavor and are thus used in bakery products, teas, and also to make honey. Red Clover contains anti-inflammatory properties and can prevent cancer. That is the reason why red Clover tea is highly beneficial for health.
8.Chicory
Enriched with Vitamins A and C, Chicory is a bitter green plant consumed in many parts of the world. The leaves, flowers, and stems of this plant are mainly used in vegetable dishes and to garnish salads. However, the root of the Chicory plant is used as a substitute for Coffee. So, get ready to add some bitterness to your daily meals that will please your taste buds.
9.Nasturtium
Nasturtium are one of the most edible flowers which has a sweet and floral flavor with a slight spicy taste like mustard. The leaves of this flowers are used in salads. These flowers are nutritious as they contain anti-oxidants and are thus used as a garnishing elements in drinks. The seeds and buds of Nasturtium are used make pickles.
With these delicious edible flowers, make your meal time more fun and interesting.