Lillies look pretty, smell nice, and are much more complicated beings than you or me, if the amount of DNA we have is any indication. As a matter of fact, the genome of lilies is ten times that of humans. A tenth of the tiger lily’s natural blueprint is enough to describe a being capable of building the Eiffel tower and going to the Moon. And what can the lily do? Well, as I said before – look pretty and smell nice. All that DNA to detail how it should do that...
Which is why I think that experiencing that complexity, i.e. eating (the edible species of) lilies is definitely a culinary adventure worth taking, especially as tiger lilies are only one of several hundred edible flowers – many of which are traditional fixtures in the kitchen. Lavender and chamomile are known to be excellent with red meat dishes, while jasmine and rose petals are traditional dessert flavors in many cuisines. (Turkish delights, anyone?) Saffron and nutmeg flowers are used in basic Mediterranean food such as béchamel sauce. Several flowers’ heads are disguised in supermarkets as vegetables – artichokes, broccoli, cauliflowers, to name a few, although young sunflowers are also said to be great steamed. Most of the flowers of well-known herbs such as basil or rosemary contain all of the essential oils of the leaves but remain a bit more delicate in taste, ideal for salads. Courgette flowers have been stuffed in Italy since, well, since courgettes were called zucchinis.
However, until this new rage for food broke out in the past couple of decades, the use of flowers in food was pretty much limited to the above despite some interest on behalf of consumers. In fact, in a 1966 Michigan study, Garden day participants and professional chefs were asked to rate violas, borage flowers and nasturtiums on whether they found them appealing or not as food – astonishingly, chefs were less likely to find them exciting than potential consumers.
All that has changed though, with many top-notch chefs experimenting with all sort of flowers. The renown Catalan restaurant El Bulli served tangerine flower concentrate and rose foam, while flowers are also used as a sort of palate cleanser between bites of for example, oysters. The experimental kitchen of Mugaritz serves bonito from the Bay of Biscay over sea chamomile and coastal herbs. In fact, the art of serving flowers is now almost mainstream, with several good thematic cookbooks and guides.
Fortunately, Budapest is also capable of satisfying your craving for acacia or marigold with a three-month old bistro even taking flower-cuisine for its name. Flores Bistro on the Belgrád rakpart on the Pest bank of the Danube is quickly establishing itself as the provider of one of the best value meals in town that will suit the gourmet without bankrupting him or her, right up there with Csalogány 26, Olimpia and Klassz. Flores’ speciality, as its name indicates, are flowers and herbs, with signature dishes such as the lavender pork chops with parsley-root purée and grilled peaches (lovely) and the duck liver pâté with lilac foam. As the owner who sometimes puts on the chef’s hat will tell you, spices are used sparingly, because the flavors of the ingredients and creativity in combining them are expected to fill in for borrowed piquancy.
