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In many ways cinderella food of the culinary world. Often they are used only as garnishes and not as a main part of the dish. This guide seeks to redress the balance by putting flowers back at the forefront of certain dishes.
It is sad to say that flowers, at least in terms of their culinary possibilities, are a much neglected part of our modern diets. Indeed, it's fair to say that the consumption of flowers for food has fallen out of favour and many seem to find the idea of consuming flowers distasteful even.
This is a shame, as flowers afford us with unique taste and texture combinations not available elsewhere. It is a shame if, at best, flowers are only used sparingly as garnishes and cake decorations.
All is not lost though. Flowers have been used for many centuries in Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines and they were also part of the menu for ancient Romans. Even Medieval and Elizabethan European recipes have a number of dishes that make use of edible flowers.
Overall it is best to grow your own edible flowers as, this way, you know what they are, know they are safe to eat and know that they are free from pesticides and other toxins (which is why you should not buy flowers from your local florist for consumption). These days, however, there are a number of companies on the web that sell flowers specifically for human consumption.
It's best to pick flowers just before you want to use them and when they are just opened, then wash carefully in cold water. Adding a little salt to the water will help get rid of any insects. Once well washed, carefully pat dry on kitchen paper or allow them dry naturally at room temperature. They can then be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag until ready to use but preferably not longer than 3 days.
The image below shows the structure of a typical flower:
In general, it's the petals that are the edible part of the flower. The stamen is the male part of the flower that produces pollen. As some pollens can be allergenic it is best to remove the stamens from any flowers before you consume them (do this with a pair of tweezers). The pistil is the female part of the flower and this can often be bitter and unpleasant in taste. It's best to remove this part of the flower as well. When removing the petals from a flower for consumption do so at the very last minute, just before you need to prepare them. Also, the white or pale 'heel' (base) of the petal can be bitter and should be cut off before using the petals.
For compound flowers such as the marigold pictured here (a compound flower ia flower head that superficially appears to be a single flower; but upon closer inspection reveals a row of outer petals arranged in a radiating shape around the inner disc flowers), sunflowers, daisies, etc, the petals should always be detached from the main flower body. For these types of flower only the petals are edible.
Exceptions to the rules given above are large flowers which are going to be stuffed and smaller flowers such as violas and primroses which can be eaten whole. Typically, as well, the pollen of flowers is avoided at all costs. However, there are, once more, exceptions to this rule and the pollen of the reedmace plant is much sought-after as a flour substitute.
As always, if you are in any doubt as to the recognition of a plant and its flowers then do not consume. The guide here will help you in your identification, but some flowers can be similar across species, making identification difficult. Also, as with any new food, only consume a small amount initially, in case you have an allergic reaction. Use flowers sparingly in your recipes as they can lead to digestive problems in some people.
Never use flowers from the lily (lilium) family, as they are all poisonous, also avoid the flowers of the solanacea family (potatoes, peppers, aubergines, tomatoes etc) as these are also poisonous. You should also avoid the following flowers: azalea, crocus, daffodil, foxglove, oleander, rhododendron, jack-in-the-pulpit, lily of the valley, and wisteria.
For a complete list of all flower-based recipes on this site see the flower recipes page.
To use this guide simply click on the first letter of the flower that you're looking for (above or below). This will take you to a table of all the flowers that begin with that letter where you can chose the flower you want. There are over 50 flowers in his guide so far, including common and rare flowers used in cuisines from around the world, and you can search by common name and scientific name.
You can also use the search box below to find the flower of your choice. You can use the common name or the scientific name or any text you choose:
Just so you know what to expect, each time you refresh this page you will get a random edible flower displayed below. This is exactly the same kind of information as displayed on the main edible flower information pages, which you can navigate through using the links above and below:
 The primrose, Primula vulgaris is a flowering herb native to western and southern Europe which is a member of the Primulaceae (primrose) family. It tends to be one of the earliest of the spring flowers and cascades of the pale yellow flowers are common on countryside verges and in woodlands. The plants are monoecious (ie flowers are male or female) and heterostylous (ie flowers can also have one or two forms). Primrose flowers are classed as either pin (with the capita of the style prominent) or thrum (with the stamens prominent). Fertilisation can only take place between pin and thrum plants. Pin to pin and thrum to thrum pollination is ineffective. The primrose is a common sight in the spring-time hedgerow and the flowers of this plant are slightly sweet and excellent to eat. They make a colourful addition to any salad, can be used to decorate ice-cream in a dessert and can be candied by preserving in sugar for later use to decorate cakes. Please note, however, that the picking of primroses or the removal of primrose plants from the wild without the permission of the owner of the land on which they are growing is now illegal in the UK (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 13, part 1b). |
Candied Primrose Flowers
Linden Leaf Salad
A Spring Tart
Mixed Wild Greens with Poppy Seed Dressing
Spring Salad with Wild Mushroom Potato Cakes
Cream, Fruit and Honey
Hedgerow Salad
Valentine Flower Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Primrose Tartlets
Primrose Syrup
To pickle any kind of Flowers
To Candy Flowers for Sallets, as Violets, Cowslips, Clove-gilliflowers, Roses, Primroses, Borrage, Bugloss, &c.
If you enjoyed this Edible Flower Guide secton of the sebsite then you will be interested in my eBook on Cooking with Spices and Spice Recipes. This eBook is sold on behalf of my One Million People Campaign to help Liberian children forced to flee their homelands due to civil war gain an education. So, not only are you supporting a worthy cause but you're also gaining an invaluable cookery resource for yourself.
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Below you will find links to other pages dealing with the various Edible Flowers described on this site
List of Edible Flowers 'A'
List of Edible Flowers 'B' List of Edible Flowers 'C' List of Edible Flowers 'D' List of Edible Flowers 'E' List of Edible Flowers 'F' List of Edible Flowers 'G' List of Edible Flowers 'H' List of Edible Flowers 'I' List of Edible Flowers 'J' List of Edible Flowers 'K' List of Edible Flowers 'L' List of Edible Flowers 'M' List of Edible Flowers 'N' List of Edible Flowers 'O' List of Edible Flowers 'P' List of Edible Flowers 'Q' List of Edible Flowers 'R' List of Edible Flowers 'S' List of Edible Flowers 'T' List of Edible Flowers 'U' List of Edible Flowers 'V' List of Edible Flowers 'W' List of Edible Flowers 'X' List of Edible Flowers 'Y' List of Edible Flowers 'Z' The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file — It takes time and money to keep The Celtnet Recipe Site on the world wide web. You can help via the PayPal donation system: you remain anonymous as all eMail details are destroyed once your gift has been verified and a 'thank you' email has been sent. I need your trust and do not keep or sell eMail addresses. Once your donation has been made you will receive a copy of my The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file which contains a description of 57 spices along with recipes showing you how to use them. In addition the book contains recipes and techniques to create restaurant-style curries at home (recipes that are not on this website). Any donation you make goes towards helping with the maintenance and growth of this site. For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions. Also, if you purchase a book through any of the Amazon links below then a portion of the price will go to the maintenance of this site. Thank you for your help in keeping 'Celtnet Recipes' running. |
If you're looking for a particular recipe, or a recipe using a particular ingredient or set of ingredients, why not try my recipe search facility. You can even use a combination of period and ingredient such as 'Elizabethan Lamb' or 'medieval eggs'.
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Those obsessive about wild foods will source a whole meal from the wild. But this is not the way that it's best to start with or even to keep going with wild foods. It's far better to gather a few fruit, wild greens or mushrooms and to add these to your everyday cookery. This way you get an introduction to the range of wild foods available and you begin to extend your cookery by adding wild ingredients.
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The thought of a cold or chilled soup sends shivers up the spines of many diners. After all, soups are meant to be hot aren't they. But, just as a good hot soup can warm you up on a cold winter's day a chilled soup can also serve to soothe the palate and cool you on a hot summer's day. A century ago chilled soups were all the rage, and though we don't tend to make them much these days, there recipes are much in need of a revival. Here a classic hot soup is compared with a chilled soup.
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