More than 500 species of fresh flowers are edible

A study has shown that there are more than 500 species of fresh flowers in nature that can be eaten, of which more than 160 types of flowers are commonly used in the cuisine of countries around the world. And in our country, dishes made from flowers are equally rich and unique.

There are more than 500 species of fresh flowers in nature that can be eaten.

From North to South, flowers are a nutritious food, some of which are even indispensable in daily meals such as morning glory, lotus, water lily, sesbania, water hyacinth, etc.

Ms. Quynh Lan (Ba Dinh, Hanoi) shared that she recently made stuffed squash flowers. She first heard about this dish through a news report about a diplomatic banquet in our country and was very surprised. Because before, she only knew about stir-fried squash flowers with beef. After that, she learned how to make it herself and succeeded the first time.

"Flowers are always beautiful, so when I make dishes from flowers, I think of elaborate dishes. I like any ingredient, but flowers inspire me a lot more. Therefore, I make quite elaborate dishes like steamed duck. That is, I stuff young lotus buds into the duck's belly, sprinkle flower petals on top and steam it," said Quynh Lan.

With flowers, Ms. Phuong Quynh Lan has a long list of other unique dishes such as: squash buds, stir-fried morning glory flowers or crab soup, lotus rolls using lotus petals rolled with meat then fried or steamed.

Ms. Lan shared that she loves cooking. In the past, she often bought and collected cooking books. Now that there is the internet, the culinary world is even more open and stimulates her exploration. In the near future, she will also challenge herself with Ban flower salad and Royal poinciana flower salad.

Ms. Tran Kim Anh (Hoang Mai, Hanoi) still remembers the first time she cooked morning glory soup, her daughter asked: Mom, why are the flowers edible? And from then on, the story of the mother and daughter opened up a culinary world with many types of flowers.

"Family members love dishes made from flowers because they are fragrant, unique, and delicious," Kim Anh shared.

According to her experience, preparing dishes from flowers is not difficult but requires carefulness. From cleaning, preparing, processing to avoid crushing, the temperature must be constantly monitored and the cooking process must be very gentle to avoid breaking or damaging the flowers.

Using flowers as ingredients for dishes shows how skillful and sophisticated Vietnamese people are.

Using flowers as ingredients for dishes has shown how skillful and sophisticated Vietnamese people are. Because flowers can easily change their color, shape and properties through processing. However, there are dishes from rustic to luxurious, from common to rare, it seems that few flowers are difficult for the chef's skills.

Journalist Vinh Quyen, a food lover, also shared the endless inspiration from flowers in cuisine. She said that in the past, flowers were not focused on as ingredients for food as they are now. Now, thanks to better conditions and the internet, people have learned more information and practiced it.

"There are flowers that you never thought could be used to make food, but lily petals are now used to make delicious stir-fried dishes. Therefore, flowers are a group of ingredients that challenge the exploration of those who love cooking," said journalist Vinh Quyen.

Personally, Ms. Vinh Quyen also likes to make dishes from lotus flowers because lotus is a beautiful, poetic and nutritious flower. And the beauty of dishes made from flowers is that they can help people enjoy and connect with nature completely.

"Like the Western hotpot with chopsticks, water mimosa, water lily, no matter where you are, you will feel like you are in the middle of the rich West. Or cooking a bowl of soup with morning glory flowers, squash buds and shrimp will make you feel like the distance between the city and the countryside is very close," Ms. Vinh Quyen shared.

Every delicious dish needs to be prepared according to a process. The same goes for flowers. Flowers have thick and thin petals, so the preparation method is also different. And the most different point is how to preserve the flavor and color to create the feeling of eating a flower.

Flowers are not only for viewing but also for eating. This is really interesting from the culinary transformations.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/hon-500-loai-hoa-tuoi-co-the-an-duoc-172240901113648817.htm