Cooking with flowers

Ambreen Noon Kazi takes inspiration from the season and suggests ways to incorporate flora into dishes.

For most of us, cooking with flowers sounds charming in theory but quaint and even oddly bizarre in practice. However, people from all across the world, particularly the Middle East, use flowers and petals in the most innovative and refreshing ways.

Many varieties of flowers are edible and, in fact, taste wonderful. Adding flowers to a dish adds colour, taste and an unexpected surprise for those eating the food.

- There are, however, a few rules you should follow before tossing in blossoms into your dishes:

- Positively identify the flower you want to use.

- Make sure the flower is free from chemicals and bugs.

- The flower should taste good and complement the dish you wish to add it to.

- Virtually all herb flowers are edible. Common herb flowers used are basil, thyme, cilantro and chives.

- Violas and pansies have a floral, wintergreen flavour. Grind these flowers in a food processor with sugar. Add the mixture to water for delightful violet syrup.

- Old-fashioned varieties of roses have much more flavour than the hybrids grown today. Judge the flavour by the smell; the richer the smell, stronger the flavour.

- Lavender is ideal for relaxing teas or to lightly flavour ice cream.

- Calendulas (pot or garden marigolds) have an aromatic and slightly bitter taste. When dried they can be added to soups.

Monarda (bee balm) petals taste similar to oregano. They can be used in salads, herb butters or sprinkled over steamed vegetables.

- Nasturtiums come in a wide variety of colours and are very easy to grow in your garden. They have a slightly peppery taste. Combine different coloured petals with butter to create a vibrant dish. For a unique hors d'oeuvre, pipe herb butter onto the centre of nasturtium petals.

- Squash blossoms have a similar taste to the squash. All varieties of squash blossoms are edible, but zucchini is the most commonly used.

- The writer is a freelancing food fan