Edible flowers in everything are all the rage this spring
It may not be a new trend per se, but we've been finding flowers in our food everywhere. A way for nature to show off the goods, edible flowers are pretty but haven't always been a cooks top choice since they have an...acquired taste.
Basically they don't taste as delish as their vibrant candy colors would lead us to believe, but they do have their distinct flavor profiles and applications.
With confusing names like Apple Blossom and Buttercup we tend to get a bit literal and expect, well apple and butter flavor and when it isn't either of those it can just be off-putting. Even worse, one complements the trout and the other could kill you (that would be the delicious-sounding buttercup). With risks like these sometimes it's better to leave it to the experts, even if that floral fudge fantasy looked great on Pinterest.
So maybe edible flowers don't always meet up to our taste-pectations but that doesn't mean that their delicate perfume doesn't bode well in the right situation.
We're used to eating plants and leaves (arugula anyone?) and flowers and berries, but mostly the same ones - pansies have been off the menu for a while.
Now we want to put nature all back up in our diet so we're looking for new ways to spice things up, quite literally.
Chef Marcelino Jimenez of the famed veggie restaurant, The Green Spot in Barcelona says the trend is making a comeback not only in vegetarian restaurants but everywhere.
"Natural cuisine is much more popular. We've already been using sprouts [and micro greens] because they are the most flavorful part of the plant, but now we're using the actual flower because it just looks beautiful, another way to dress up the plate...." a way of using the whole plant.
The 'gram is already awash these days with fresh ways of using flowers in your everyday fare.
Now with many edible flowers already packaged up pretty in any well stocked market, you don't have to risk any fatal floral flaws. Here's a convenient guide from www.apairandaspare.com. So go get your garden on...on your plate.
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