You may often see flowers used as decorations to beautify dishes. However, some chefs deliberately serve flowers for consumption because they enrich the taste of food. This type of edible flower is an edible flower. What does it taste like?
Edible flowers
Not all flowers are safe to eat, except for edible flowers.
This flower can be served with the main meal, put in a sauce or drink, even processed into a snack.
Apart from not causing digestive problems, e dible flower offers a unique taste and appearance to dishes.
Some types can provide health benefits because it is a nutritious food.
What types of flowers are safe for consumption?
1. Rose
There are more than 150 species of roses in the world. The good news is that everything is edible. However, not all types of roses have the same taste.
A practical way to choose edible roses is by their scent. If it smells good, it probably tastes good too.
However, you can only eat the petals as the leaves and stems are not safe for consumption.
Rose petals have a slightly sweet taste with a fresh floral aroma, like a blend of strawberry and green apple flavors.
These flower petals can be eaten raw directly, mixed into fruit juices, or processed into jam, vegetable ointment, spice soup, and so on.
You may be able to get benefits from eating roses.
Research in the Avicenna journal of phytomedicine (2017) shows certain compounds in rose oil can reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Summary
1. All varieties of roses are edible.
2. Roses that have the sweetest aroma tend to have a pleasant taste.
3. Rose petals can be used for flavoring food or mixed into drinks.
2. Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers can be found growing in tropical and subtropical climates throughout the world.
There are hundreds of species of hibiscus, but the most popular and edible variety is known as roselle or Hibiscus sabdariffa.
This flower has various colors such as red, white, yellow, and pink.
You can eat this flower directly from the plant. Hibiscus flowers are usually used for tea, herbs, jam, or vegetable pecel.
In addition, hibiscus tea is believed to have medicinal properties.
Some research suggests that hibiscus can help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
However, more research is needed to better understand how hibiscus can support heart health.
3. Pumpkin flower
If you grow your own pumpkins in your garden, you may often see their brightly colored flowers with soft petals.
However, you may not know that this flower is as edible as the pumpkin itself.
Pumpkin flowers are bright yellow with long and round bells. These flowers can be eaten raw or chopped.
Well, you can process it as boiled vegetable pecel, vegetable urap, or even fry it until it’s crispy.
However, only male flowers are safe to eat. What are the characteristics of male pumpkin flowers?
Male flowers have long, thin stems and usually grow around the outer edge of the plant.
4. Lavender
Lavender is a flower that is native to northern Africa and the Mediterranean.
This flower is violet in color, small in size, and in large numbers. Lavender is known for its distinctive aroma and is believed to have a calming effect.
Its color and aroma make lavender a great addition to a variety of foods.
This flower can be added to sweetened drinks, herbal teas, dried herbs, and spices.
Well, this edible flower is also suitable to be combined with foods that taste sour and sweet, such as oranges, berries, rosemary, sage, and chocolate.
When you want to add lavender to cooking, you should add this flower little by little, until it gives the desired taste or aroma.
If you add it all at once and too much, the taste and aroma that appears can be too strong.
5. Dandelions
Dandelion is known as a garden weed that grows wild.
However, they also function as edible flowers with high nutritional content.
Dandelion has small flowers about 2 – 4 cm in diameter with many small bright yellow petals.
Every part of this weed plant can be enjoyed. This includes the roots, stems, and leaves.
The flowers can be eaten raw, mixed with breadcrumbs, fried, or mixed to make puddings and jams.
The roots are often steeped to make tea or coffee. Dandelions can also be cooked as stews, fish sauces, or other dishes that require additional aroma.
Consumption of this flower can provide its own benefits because research says dandelion contains various compounds with antioxidant properties.
6. Chamomile
Chamomile is a flower that has been used in traditional cooking and medicine for centuries.
Research in the journal Phytomedicine (2016) found that chamomile has the potential to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.
The flowers are very similar to daisies, although much smaller. Chamomile gives a slightly sweet and flavorful taste to food or drinks.
For cooking, chamomile leaves and flowers are usually dried first, but can also be served fresh.
In addition to being often used for chamomile tea, the flowers can also be made into syrup or baked goods and desserts.
7. Kamperfuli
There are about 200 species of honeysuckle or camphor, but the most common are the Japonica and Woodbine varieties.
The flowers and their extracts are usually consumed or applied to the skin to treat various inflammatory conditions.
However, its efficacy as a therapeutic drug for humans is still not scientifically proven.
In the culinary world, camphor is often used to make fragrant teas or syrups.
The fragrant flowers, usually light yellow or white, contain nectar that can be eaten directly.
You can use this edible flower to sweeten iced tea, lemonade, yogurt, or as a sugar substitute.
Although the camphor flower and its nectar are safe to eat, some varieties can cause poisoning if consumed in large quantities.
8. Pansy
In addition to pleasing to the eye, pansies are no less delicious to eat. Pansies have small flowers, about 5-8 cm in diameter.
The flowers come in many colors but are generally purple, blue and yellow.
This flower has five overlapping petals with a dark area in the center that resembles an ink stain.
Pansies have a light, fresh and sweet taste.
Because it has many color variations, this flower is often an accessory for decorating cakes, puddings, and pastries.
This type of edible flower is also known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
9. Nasturtium
Besides being known for its brightly colored flowers, nasturtiums have a savory and unique taste.
Both the leaves and flowers of nasturtiums can be enjoyed raw or cooked.
The flowers are funnel-shaped and are bright orange, red, or yellow. This flower has a slightly spicy taste and can be used for decoration on cakes.
In addition, the round and small leaves are also soft enough to eat, perfect for serving as vegetable pecel or dipped in sauce.
Just like other edible flowers, nasturtium contains various minerals and compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
10. Borage
Borage or starflower is a star-shaped flower with delicate petals. Usually, these flowers are blue, but can also be white or pink.
In herbal medicine, borage is used to treat minor ailments, such as a sore throat or cough.
However, research in humans on the efficacy of borage as a medical treatment is still minimal.
You can use the flowers and leaves of borage to eat. The flowers have a slightly sweet and fresh taste, similar to cucumber and honey.
These flowers can be eaten fresh or added to soups, sauces, or vegetable spring rolls.
There are several types of flowers that can be eaten. This flower even contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are good for health.
Some edible flowers are safe to eat raw, but some need to be cooked first so they don’t cause poisoning.