Edible flowers are not only a visual highlight, they also enrich your dishes with subtle flavours. From sweet and floral to spicy or slightly hot, they easily enhance salads, desserts or drinks and bring colour to the kitchen.

Which flowers go with which dishes?

For desserts:

  • Violets - mildly sweet, perfect for cakes
  • Rose petals - aromatic, ideal for syrups, jellies, ice cream or oriental desserts
  • Lavender - intense flavour, suitable for biscuits, cakes or lemonades

For salads & savoury dishes:

  • Nasturtium - peppery and spicy, ideal for salads, on sandwiches or as a garnish on cheese platters
  • Borage - reminiscent of cucumber, goes well with summer salads or cold soups
  • Chive blossoms - mildly spicy, ideal for quark or on sandwiches
  • Carnation flower - slightly bitter, the petals are suitable as a "saffron substitute" in rice or pasta dishes
  • Thyme and oregano flowers - intensely spicy, for Mediterranean dishes
  • Sage flowers - mildly aromatic, tossed in butter with pasta or gnocchi

Further tips for use:

  • Always add the flowers just before serving to preserve the colour and aroma
  • In salads: Gently fold in the flowers
  • For drinks: Freeze the flowers and use as ice cubes for a decorative effect

Watch out: Not all flowers are edible

Always make sure you only use known, edible species and identify them beforehand. You should also only use untreated flowers, preferably from your own garden or of organic quality. If you don't have your own garden to grow the flowers yourself, you can also find dried flowers online or in the supermarket.

If you keep the above points in mind, edible flowers are a great addition to your plate: both in terms of flavour and visually.
So what are you waiting for?

Have fun decorating and tasting!
Your Dole team