Blooms as Food Delights
M.Keerthana, Kajol Sahu, R.Karthika, M.Kanishkar, T.UmaMaheswari and S.Geethanjali
Introduction
It’s very well known that flowers occupy the top spot in decoration, weddings, celebrations and more. They not only make the surrounding look more pleasant but also gives us a sense of aesthetics and a pleasure to our eyes. However, it is lesser known that edible flowers can be used as an excellent ingredient in our day to day food item, although the concept of the use of edible flowers is an age old practice performed from centuries. Edible flowers are defined as non-toxic, innocuous flowers with health benefits. Like fruits, vegetables, spices, leaves, nuts, flowers are also part of nature’s roster of nutrition providers for us. Edible flowers can be used as a creative and innovative ingredient in the culinary world, due to their unique flavours, textures and colours.
Edible flowers of India
The major edible flowers in India are rose, hibiscus, marigold, banana blossoms, fennel flowers, squash/pumpkin blossoms, sunflowers, lavender, jasmine, violets, dandelions, chrysanthemums, lotus, blue pea, saffron, nasturtiums, lilac etc.
ROSE: Rose petals acts as a natural coolant, fights depression, promotes healthy heart, prevents cancer, reduces inflammation and aids in digestion. Antioxidants help to ward off harmful free radicals and promote cellular health within the body.
HIBISCUS: The hibiscus flower can be used straight from the plant for culinary and medicinal purposes. Consuming hibiscus flower can help lower blood pressure, boost up liver health and promote weight loss as it is packed with antioxidants.
BLUE PEA: The most striking feature of Clitoria is its deep blue flowers which have mild sweet taste. Blue pea flowers have strong anti-inflammatory properties which help keep our respiratory system and blood vessels strong and also improve our skin and hair health. Clitoria flowers are also rich in anthocyanins, which are the antioxidant compounds responsible for its unique color. For this reason, manufactures may use butterfly pea flower as a natural dye for foods and drinks. Before, spirulina was the only natural color additive approved for blue shades. However, due to heat stability issues, butterfly pea flowers are used more often.
MARIGOLD: Marigold petals have been made into extracts, powder and infusions and used for a variety of ailments, like fevers, jaundice, stomach ulcers, conjunctivitis, liver problems, burns and wounds to stop bleeding.
JASMINE: Jasmine petals can be consumed which helps to cure eye diseases, ulcers, acts as antioxidants, protects cell against free radical damage, skin related diseases and itching, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic properties, used in treatment of depression and teeth related diseases also.
PUMPKIN: Pumpkin flowers are used in the treatment of common cold, male inertility, ensure healthy eyes, production of reactive oxygen species that fights pathogens, helps to enhance the immune system of the body and protects us from cold and cough.
BANANA FLOWER: Banana flowers are rich in soluble and insoluble fibers, which prevent constipation and other digestive problems. This blossom is rich in numerous minerals and protein. Banana flowers contain sterols that help reduce high cholesterol levels by preventing the absorption of ingested cholesterol from our gut. It has anti-inflammatory properties due to citric acid and Quercetin (an antioxidant).
Health benefits of edible flowers
Edible flowers not only add colour to our plate but are also a rich source of phytochemicals like flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins, total phenolics etc., which is known to present numerous health benefits and are also used for therapeutic purposes. Many researches has proven that the phytochemicals present in edible flowers contribute to health benefits such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-bacterial, immune-stimulatory action, anti-diabetic activity, anti-obesity properties, anti-cholesterol activity, hepatoprotective property, anti-cancer property and so on.
Value added foods with edible flowers
The flowers add color and aroma to the food and increase their aesthetic appeal and acceptability. Flowers are often added to beverages as flavorings, or utilized to make beverages like herbal teas and wines. They are put on to spreads such as butter or fruit preserves, vinegar, marinades, and dressings.
BEVERAGES
TEA: Brews made from a combination of tea and herbs, including flower petals, have been used for both flavour and therapeutic purposes for ages. Fresh and dried flowers are combined in the teas to create aromatic and flavourful combinations that are both relaxing and stimulating. A floral accent can be imparted to a caffeinated brew by adding flowers. The best quality jasmine teas are made by placing jasmine blossoms on top of a tray of loose tea leaves and leaving them overnight to absorb the smell. A cup of chrysanthemum tea might help alleviate cold and cough symptoms including lowering blood pressure. For a calming floral flavour, rose petals are often added to black or herbal tea blends. Although lavender is too potent to be used as a single-ingredient floral tea, it is frequently added to tea blends to add a floral flavour. Anxiety can be significantly reduced with the help of passionflower floral tea, which has an anxiolytic effect. The blue butterfly pea blossom has long been a favourite for creating aesthetically pleasing and flavourful floral teas. It’s a gorgeous blue colour that turns a deep purple hue when mixed with some lemon juice.
JUICES: Some edible flowers like Rose, Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Dandelion, Pansy, Hibiscus and Tulip can be a great addition to juices.
DESSERTS
JELLY: Some flowers are tastier than others but here’s a handy list of common flowers that make excellent jellies. They are Dandelion, Wild Violet, Lavender, Nasturtium, Bee Balm, Clover, Hibiscus, Lilac, Rose Petal, Marigold, Chrysanthemum and Honeysuckle.
JAM: Rose petals can be boiled and strained to create rose-infused jams (Gulkhand).
SYRUP: Some common edible flowers include Rose, Hibiscus, Lavender, Chamomile, Lilac and Tulip, but there are many others too. Each of these produces a smooth, sweet syrup with its own distinctive undertones.
ICE CREAM: Lilac ice cream is prepared using lilac infused cream.
CAKES: Infusion of edible flowers such as Lavender, Rose, Pansies, Dahlias, Mums, Lilacs, Dianthus, Hibiscus, Orchids, Impatiens and Begonias have a good flavours that works well with any cake.
YOGURT: Garnishing the yogurt with Lavender, chive blossoms, dandelions, roses, calendula, nasturtiums, geraniums, pansies, Clitoria, Hibiscus, Rose etc adds up colour and nutrition.
SAVOURY
CURRY: Moringa flowers are used to make sabzi or curry, which is an absolute delight to have. Asian dishes, such as curries or soups extensively use stir-fried moringa flowers. Pumpkin flowers are used to make fritters and pakoras. Pumpkin flowers can be eaten as curries and in side dishes, papaya flowers are slightly bitter in taste yet highly nutritious. Have them straight up fried or make a quick stir-fry.
SALAD: The glorious blooms can create the herbaceous salad with edible flowers. Tulip, tasting like lettuce, with a peppery aftertaste is most commonly used in salads. Beebalm or wild bergamot have a sweet, citrus, spicy mint flavour. Dandelion have a honey flavour when picked young, can be eaten raw, alone or tossed into a salad. Papaya flowers are extensively used in salads.
GARNISH
Edible flowers are a beautiful and unique option for garnishes, whether using together in a colourful dessert or serving in a cocktail. Flowers come in a variety of shapes, textures, colours and sizes, making them extremely appealing for garnishing desserts, drinks, salads etc. Here are a few types of edible flowers that can be safely added to food and drinks viz., Roses, Squash blossoms, Lavender, Chamomile, Violas, Pansies, Marigolds, Violets, Nasturtium, Cherry blossoms and Honeysuckles. Due to the various colours, pansy flowers can be used to garnishes in cakes, cookies, and other dishes. Some flower petals can also be candied as a garnish in desserts and other dishes. Sage Flowers can be used in savoury or sweet dishes for garnishing or to add their unique flavour.
Few commonly available recipes with edible flowers
No bake Lilac blueberry cheese cake, Rose infused cherry gin fizz, fermented pickles with green tea and dill flowers, Lavender lemonade, strawberry elderflower scone cake, grapefruit lavender spring blossom cocktail, honey and rose broiled grapefruit, Arabian pancake using Rose water, carnation butter, Nasturtium salad, blue pea lemonade, Ice cubes, Lilac honey cake, Elderflower cordial, dandelion biscuit, stuffed squash blossoms, cupcakes, cookies, vegan Lavender ice cream, Chamomile ginger raw energy bar, pickled milkweed flower and vegetable hummingbird stir fry.
Conclusion
Flowers were used in culinary purpose from thousands years in many cultures in their traditional cooking methods. Vedas and traditional knowledge has mentioned about medicinal uses of flowers and in recent years modern science is taking significant interest to explore the potential of edible flowers. Due to superior nutritional and bioactive properties along with flavor and aroma, there were many culinary uses of edible flowers. But modern processing interventions have the potential for value added product development along with techniques to preserve them for longer than usual. However, processing and preservation aspect has been explored for selected edible flowers only and wider application could be promising. Commercialization of value added edible flowers product is far away due to lack of scientific reports. Among the tested preservation methods novel drying methods and innovative packaging methods could be the game changer in promoting edible flower for commercial practices. Moreover, there is a need to bring in strategic regulation to ensure safe use of edible flowers. There is a huge potential of using flowers in food. It will not only help the present but also be a potential food for future generation.
Author’s Bio
Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College & Research Institute, TNAU, Trichy
References
Jacqueline Aparecida Takahashi, Flávia August, Guilherme Gonçalves Rezende , Marília Aparecida Fidelis Moura, Laura Ciribelli Borges Dominguete, Denise Sande. Edible flowers: Bioactive profile and its potential to be used in food development. Food Research International 129 (2020) 108868
Soumya Ranjan Purohit, Sandeep Singh Rana , Rubeka Idrishi, Vasudha Sharma, Payel Ghosh. A review on nutritional, bioactive, toxicological properties and preservation of edible flowers. Future Foods 4 (2021) 100078.