Pansies’ flowers in a colorful nutritious salad
Cooking and garnishing with flowers is trending! Many restaurants, chefs and home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms to give it a special touch.
Flower cookery can been traced back to Roman times, and to the Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cultures. In China, flower flavored teas are the hit – lotus flower, nasturtium, honeysuckle, lilies, chrysanthemums, roses and amaranth –are just a small list of the typical tea varieties that the Chinese enjoy.
Using flowers for cooking not only gives your dishes taste, color and a great smell but also know that flowers also are rich in vitamins and the caloric levels are similar to lettuce 😀
Before you chomp away, please don’t forget, not all flowers are edible! Don’t eat flowers that have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals! Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside ;D Always remember to use flowers sparingly in your recipes especially when serving to others, not everybody digestive system works like yours!
Here is short list of flowers that are safe to eat:
:: Chrysanthemum, Magnolia and Pansies’ petals: these are often used in colorful nutritious salads
:: Jasmine and hibiscus: are great garnishes for poultry and fish
:: Violets: are often used in desserts and iced drinks. Freeze them in punches to delight children and adults alike
:: Tulips: the flavor varies from tulip to tulip, but generally the petals taste like sweet lettuce
:: Roses: their petals are mostly used for perfumes and oils. They are a great garnish for ice cream and desserts, especially chocolate. Larger petals can be sprinkled on desserts or salads.
:: Herb flowers like mint or thyme: these are great to accompany fish dishes. Mint flowers and leaves are great in Middle Eastern dishes.
:: Orange and Lemon tree flowers are a unique mix when making butter
:: Lavender looks beautiful in a glass of champagne or with chocolate cake. Sorbets or ice creams look great with sprinkled lavender and give it an interesting and refreshing taste. Lavender also works well in savory dishes like rabbit or chicken.
Come on and give it a try! Design your colorful spring dish: you can start with a fresh salad with bean sprouts and various types of lettuce. Ah and nuts and raisins are always a good mix!
