Flowers or parts of flowers can be eaten as foods or used to flavor foods. The art of cooking with flowers is an ancient one, known in oriental and Persian cuisines thousands of years ago. The orientals' most notable contribution to flower coking was their use of flowers like jasmine, roses, chrysanthemums, and camellias to give teas fragrance. In addition, they used flower petals in wines for bouquet, in cakes for flavor, and in soups for color contrast. The Persians also added a variety of fresh or dried flowers to candies, soups and meat dishes.
Down through the centuries, cooks have passed on these ways of using whole blossoms or parts of flowers to garnish, flavor, or add appealing aroma to foods. The Romans believed flowers in foods gave their meals elegance. The roman emperor, Nero, seasoned his foods with rose petals.
Today's cooks use flowers in everyday cooking although they are not always aware of it. The prized portions of broccoli and cauliflower, for example, are clusters of unopened flower buds. Capers are unopened buds that have been pickled or dried. Some herbs and spices are parts of a flower. Saffron is the powder rubbed off the stamens of a particular crocus. Rose and orange flower water are also used to flavor cookies. And candied flowers such as violets are luxurious, yet delicious garnished for cakes and confections.
Cooks need not be limited to these traditional uses of flowers. In some countries fritters are made with squash blossoms, elderflowers, or acacia flower cluster. Squash blossoms have also been used in poultry dishes, plum blossoms in dumplings, sliced banana flowers in shellfish mixtures, and lily petals in soups.
Cooking with flowers can be a taste adventure. Rose petals make an excellent jam or jelly. Custard sauce sparked with orange flower or rose water is elegant served over fresh berries. Cooked apples take on a new tang with the addition of rose geraniums or lemon verbena.
The sky is the limit for trying new flower flavors. So experiment until you find your best choice. But also remember that some flowers can be poisonous, so investigate the flower before adding it to any food.
