Flowers as food – Edible flowers great for cooking
Apart from the visual appeal that we have for flowers, it’s unknown to most that flowers are actually very delicious to cook with. You have to be careful what flowers you are eating as though some are edible, some can be poisonous.
Many flowers, like the bean blossom, are quite sugary in taste and at times can be quite peppery. The Borage flower tastes very similar to much of our common garden salad with flavours mirroring those of the tastes of the cucumber. You can even eat pansies which have a very subtle minty flavour, try some garnished over a roast joint of lamb. You can chop these up and use as a garnish or use for cooking in soups, just as you would with elder flower.
Clearly lavender is a big choice for when it comes to using flowers as an ingredients. However be careful with lavender as if you use to much it can be quite a bitter taste which would not be popular with your dinner guests.
You can also use violets and roses which are great for the sweet dishes, especially with rich cream and chocolates hmmmmmm. Saffron is perhaps the leading in the best flower taste for food. Saffron is more expensive than gold in weight. Originally it was used by Buddhist Monks to dye their clothes as it was cheap. However the unique taste sent it straight to market setting the prices sky high.
Experiment in the kitchen, but what ever you bring in from the garden to cook, make sure you know what its is and that you can then identify it as being poisonous or not.