Everything sprouts in Spring, and so does our recipes. There is nothing like adding a bit of colour to your meals and an organic touch with edible flowers. Find out which flowers are the best to use in cooking and how.
Buying edible flowers or grow yours, what is better?
As a starter, here is the first question. Is it better to buy or grow edible flowers? We can find edible flowers in almost every corner, ready to decorate and to eat. But growing your own flowers is an extra point to satisfaction, eating something you have grown, and it will help you discover your gardener soul. They also look so good on a balcony, a terrace or a garden…
These are the TOP 10 of the most commonly used edible flowers:
Violets
This flower has a nice smooth flavour, together with beautiful colours, perfect to bring some colour to your breakfast and even your salad.
Nasturtium
It is perfect for salads thanks to its red colour. This tone creates an intense contrast with the green. There is nothing in this flower you can not use, even the leaves.
Calendula
You probably know these flowers with their bright yellow and wonderful aroma. And you may also think about calendula like a “cheaper” substitute for saffron, so it works very good with rice, for instance.
Szechuan buttons
This flower has both sides —or two different flavours if you want. Eating fresh has a funny effect on your mouth combined with a sort of analgesic reaction. If you don’t like that feeling, you can eat them dry.
Chive flowers
Their flavour is close to onion but lighter and more delicate. The violet colour of this flower looks really good in any dish.
Zucchini flower
If you like courgettes/zucchinis, you will love it. With a sweet, different, and light flavour, they become the main dish, and you can eat them, for instance, coated. Simply delicious.
Begonias
Although they look innocent and fragile, these flowers have a citrus taste with slight sweet touches.
Carnations (dianthus barbatus)
These carnations have a sweet flavour perfect for baking. They are a very good choice for many desserts.
Orange blossom
These are some of the favourites and most common flowers for cooking. They have a floral fragrance and a sweet flavour. Orange blossom is the right choice for baking, and you can find a lot of recipes with this flower, among other ingredients.
Jasmine
If you are more a tea-person, the aroma of this flower is perfect to put to any of your favourite drinks.