Flowers on a platter

Floral prints have been in vogue since ages ­— in designs, as hair accessories and so on. But who said the creativity has to stop there? Chefs and cooks around the world are experimenting with edible flowers, not only to make the dish presentable but also to add a certain flavour to it.

Then again, flowers as food is not a new concept, banana blossoms and drumstick flowers being some of the examples. But as Chef Nimish Bhatia from ‘Nimisserie’ says, “When things are not so easily available, the demand is more.”

He uses flowers like marigold and jasmine to give his dishes an oomph factor. He explains, “Edible flowers have become an integral part of food designing, especially because they add colour to a plate. I also prefer ingredients like dried flowers to give an additional flavour to the dish and bring in a new twist to the experience.”

So does everyone want to eat the flowers they see on the plate? “Many don’t know that the flowers presented are edible, unless told. However, there are a few chefs who use artificial flowers just for decor,” he clarifies.

For social media consultant, Rumana Nazarali, it’s the addition of edible flowers in mocktails that is intriguing. She says, “I’m always on the lookout for interesting mocktails and that’s when I came across edible flowers at a Pan-Asian restaurant. It gave an interesting flavour to the drink. I’ve also tried them in salads but it didn’t seem to have that much of an effect.”

She feels with fusion becoming more popular, chefs should use this fad to their advantage and experiment more. “Food lovers are looking out for new things and edible flowers seem to be the in thing now,” she adds.

But it is not entirely a new concept. For Kirti Yadav, the co-founder of ‘Plattershare’, a social media platform for food lovers’, the memory of her father introducing her to certain edible flowers comes to mind. She says, “My dad forced us to try edible flowers like night blooming jasmine, rose petals and periwinkle, sometimes even marigold flower seeds. These have certain health benefits which I learnt about much later.”

“A lot of organic shops stock dried hibiscus flowers which are used as tea leaves. But I remember having it just like that when I was a kid,” she recalls, adding that she now makes banana flower chutney and a dish out of drumstick flowers at home.

Another popular option are the pumpkin flowers, which Raksha Kamat, a food blogger cooks with at home.

She says, “I prepare the crispy fried version of it at home and it’s a crowd puller. It’s a popular dish in Goa, where my parents live. I wasn’t much of a banana blossom fan until recently, when my dad sent it from Goa. It was from the plant we grew at home, and that’s when I realised how versatile an ingredient it is.”

It’s these interesting experimentations that made edible flowers such an attraction. Whether it’s an age old practice or a new concept for many, food lovers can’t seem to get enough of it.