12 Edible Flowers for Culinary Decoration

Aside from being visually stunning and fragrant, many types of flowers can also be eaten. Whether they're used in cooking, incorporated into dishes, or simply as decoration. In this article, Love You Flower, a flower shop, has curated a selection of edible flowers for flower enthusiasts to explore.

What Edible Flowers Are There?

There are a lot of edible flowers, offering a diverse array that can be used to create culinary delights or beverages, adding vibrant colors and unique flavors to your menu. Whether roses for tea or Hemp Sesbania Flower for savory dishes, there are also other flowers including Thai and international edible flowers that can be incorporated into meals

1. Bougainvillea Flower

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The Bougainvillea flower can be rightfully called Thailand's decorative queen because it's a flower that many households often plant in front of their homes. With some petals in vibrant colors, including pink, red, orange, and white, the variety of colors makes it even more beautiful when planted together. Besides being a popular decorative plant, the Bougainvillea flower is also edible and favored by those who like to use it in cooking.

How to cook Bougainvillea flowers: Bougainvillea flower petals are often dipped in batter and fried. They can be used to make fried flower salad or eaten fresh as betel leaf wrap, Flower salad, Thai rice noodle salad roll (kuay teow lui suan), or as a herbal tea, which helps nourish the heart and blood circulation. Additionally, the pink color of Bougainvillea flowers is often extracted and mixed with flour for baking instead of using food coloring.

2. Hemp Sesbania Flower

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The Hemp Sesbania flower blooms in vibrant yellow petals and no smell. Its flowers cluster together resembling small bells, a familiar sight to many Thais who recognize it as an edible flower. Known for its bland taste and medicinal properties, Hemp Sesbania flowers are used to alleviate heat-related symptoms, reduce fever, and soothe stomach discomfort.

How to cook Hemp Sesbania flowers: These flowers can be used in a variety of dishes. whether stir-fried with oyster sauce, used to make omelets, or battered and fried to create a delicious flower salad. Mostly they are often boiled and served with shrimp paste dip sauce or Mackerel with chili sauce. Additionally, they are used to make a dessert called Thai dessert Sesbania flower or "Khanom Dok Son" in Thai, by bringing the flowers mixed with rice flour, steamed, and then coated with sugar, a pinch of salt, and grated coconut.

3. Butterfly Pea Flower

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he Butterfly Pea flower is likely another edible flower that many people are familiar with because it's easy to find. Thai people often plant Butterfly Pea flowers along the edges of their homes, and they bloom all year round. One well-known dish made from Butterfly Pea flowers is "Butterfly Pea Flower with Lemon Honey," which provides a beautiful refreshing purple color. When mixed with the acidity of lemon juice, the purple color of the Butterfly Pea flower turns into a stunning pink hue.

How to cook Butterfly Pea flowers: Apart from making beverages like Butterfly Pea flower tea or honey lemonade, Thai people also enjoy eating fresh Butterfly Pea flowers with chili sauce. They also can be used in various dishes such as fried flower salad, fresh flower salad, betel leaf wrap, omelets with Butterfly Pea flowers, and sour curry.

4. Rose

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Rose is another well-known flower, being a symbol of love often exchanged as gifts. It's commonly used to create flower bouquets. Besides being a beautiful flower and fragrant, many people wonder, can roses be eaten? The answer is yes, Roses have a slightly bitter taste, but it's recommended to eat them as flowers for planting or to clean them thoroughly before consumption.

How to cook Rose: Roses can be used in a variety of dishes, both raw and cooked. For example, rose petal salad, crispy fried rose salad, rose tea, or extract their color and fragrance to make various desserts.

5. Chrysanthemum

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Chrysanthemum flowers, also known as the same species as Chrysanthemum, with various colors such as white, purple, red, and yellow. However, most people are familiar with the yellow or white chrysanthemum. The flower petals are densely packed and are often dried and brewed into tea.

Chrysanthemum tea has a deep, refreshing taste and a cool aroma smell. It contains flavonoids and phenols that help reduce inflammation, relieve gas, aid digestion, and promote gastric function. It's well-known for its cooling and refreshing properties, making it a popular choice to quench thirst and alleviate heat.

How to cook Chrysanthemum: You can dry the flowers and use them to make chrysanthemum tea.

6. Chamomile

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Chamomiles are a popular choice for making tea, known for their calming effects and help to sleep better. These small flowers resemble daisies and clusters, with white petals and thin circles around large yellow pollen, emitting a gentle, soothing aroma.

Studies have found that chamomile has properties that help reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and maintain balance in the brain because it contains apigenin.

How to cook Chamomile: You can dry the chamomile flowers and use them to make tea. They also work well for making jam, and ice cream, or extracting the flavor to use in other dishes.

7. Lotus

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The Lotus flower is commonly used by Buddhists for religious worship, but aside from that, almost every part of the Lotus flower is edible. Whether it's the petals, seeds, stamens, roots, and stems, Lotus flowers have medicinal properties that aid in diuresis, treat aphthous ulcer, and reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, among other benefits.

How to cook Lotus: Mostly they are often eaten fresh and used to make betel leaf wrap, which not only looks beautiful but also provides health benefits and has a refreshing aroma. Additionally, you can boil Lotus flowers to make Lotus flower tea.

8. Coral Vine

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The Coral vine, also called in English as Mexican Creeper Or Chain of Love, comes in various shades of pink, while some varieties may be white. It blooms in clusters and is a trailing vine. In Thailand, it's commonly grown as an ornamental plant. Due to its beauty and vibrant color, the Coral vine flower is often used for decorative purposes, such as for adding in flower vases or to adorn dishes and cakes.

How to cook Coral vine : Use for dish decoration or fried flower salads, often combined with other types of edible flowers.

9. Ganges Primrose (Chinese Violet)

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Ganges Primrose, also known as Chinese Violet or Asystasia gangetica. This vibrant perennial is commonly found in forests or along canals in various tropical countries around the world. Although sometimes considered a weed, along with stunning colors, purple, white, pink and yellow, make it a popular choice for embellishing dishes. Moreover In Thailand, they are frequently used in a traditional Isaan curry called "gaeng om." Also the flowers and leaves, called “om zap flower or om zap leave” in Thai.

How to cook Ganges Primrose: Ganges Primrose is edible raw and often used to decorate plates, make salads, or accompany spicy dips sauce. Additionally, it's a common ingredient in "gaeng om," a beloved Northeastern Thai stew.

10. Chive

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Chives have purple-colored blossoms that grow in a clustered shape. Their long, slender leaves resemble those of green onions or scallions. Leaves and flowers also emit a unique aroma, making them a cherished herb in European cuisine. Chives might not be widely recognized in Thailand, but they are often seen used in culinary competitions with other flowers.

How to cook Chive: Chives are popularly used to decorate plates, including in desserts and cakes. They can also be infused or brewed into a flavorful tea.

11. Nasturtium Flower

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Nasturtium flowers, with their orange and yellow color, are a favorite flower among Western chefs and fine dining restaurants often used for adding visual appeal to dishes. These flowers are typically consumed raw and are primarily used in salads due to their bland taste

How to cook Nasturtium flowers: Nasturtiums are commonly eaten raw, decorative garnishes for desserts, or for making salad.

12. Pansy

Pansies, also known as "cat's faces flower" are enchanting flowers that come in a variety of colors including purple, yellow, orange, white, and pink. Each bloom features five petals, with the inner parts often sporting a darker, vibrant shade, making them strikingly beautiful and distinctive. Pansies are commonly eaten raw and are frequently used to enhance salads and mixed dishes alongside other flowers. They are also popular for decorating plates, culinary dishes, and cakes

How to cook Pansy: Pansy are commonly eaten raw, used for making salad or culinary creations, decorative garnishes for desserts.

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