"Drink Mulan dew early and eat autumn chrysanthemum late." This is the scene described in Qu Yuan's Lisao that flower dew is used as a drink and chrysanthemum is used as a dish, which shows that China has a long history of edible flowers. More than ten kinds of flower foods such as flower cake, flower porridge, flower rice, flower wine and flower cake. The Qing Palace in Shanjia written by Lin Hong in Song Dynasty shows that the application of edible flowers in China is quite extensive.
In the Tang Dynasty, people regarded Osmanthus Jelly and Chrysanthemum Cake as banquet treasures. A variety of flower foods and their production methods are also recorded in the Song Dynasty's Confessions of Shanjiaqing, the Ming Dynasty's Eight Notes on Respecting Life, the Preface of Raising the Moon, and the Qing Dynasty's Fanfangpu.
There are actually many edible flowers, about 97 families, 100 genera and 180 species. The edible flowers approved by the health department include plum blossom, chrysanthemum, camellia, cherry blossom, peony, orchid, peach blossom, lotus flower, osmanthus fragrans, safflower, Sophora japonica, epiphyllum, rose, broom, honeysuckle, honeysuckle, jasmine and pumpkin flowers.
Turn flowers into vegetables.
Pumpkin flowers: For edible pumpkin flowers, it is best to pick it in the morning, or before noon after male flowers are pollinated. Peel off the flower stalk, the surface of the receptacle and the flower core, and the rest can be eaten. According to the research of Singaporean nutritionists, eating pumpkin flowers can also effectively improve IQ.
Lotus: It can be used to cook porridge and soup, and it can also be used as a side dish to increase the aesthetic feeling. In addition, there are records of eating lotus in ancient times, and there are even special lotus dishes in Thailand. In the past, the usual folk practice was to mix lotus flowers with eggs and white sugar flour paste for a while, and then add fried yellow. As for the restaurant, there are many exquisite things. Put the bean paste in the middle and fold it along the length. When the oil is 50% hot, dip the petals of the bean paste in the egg white paste, then put it on a plate and sprinkle with osmanthus. This dish is crisp outside and tender inside, very sweet. The fragrance of lotus flowers makes people feel fragrant.
Sophora japonica: Sophora japonica can be made into steamed stuffed bun jiaozi, Sophora japonica egg cake, Sophora japonica egg soup, etc. Steamed Sophora japonica, only steamed Sophora japonica looks exquisite, but I don't understand it. After the leaves of Sophora japonica are steamed, the taste is rich, which echoes the softness of Sophora japonica. Eat leaves first and then flowers, feel the difference between them, and smell a few inaudible scents, as if you would ride the smell of Sophora japonica through the four seasons.
Take flowers as stuffing
Rose: In ancient China, pastry chefs used rose petals as fillings to make fragrant rose cakes, which have been passed down to this day. Rose cakes are widely spread in China, the most famous of which are Beijing and Yunnan. Besides rose cake, there are also rose jiaozi, rose porridge, rose tea and rose jelly. ...
Wisteria: Wisteria can extract aromatic oil, which has the functions of detoxifying, stopping vomiting and diarrhea. The seeds of wisteria are poisonous and contain cyanide, which can cure the pain of bones and muscles and prevent the wine from going bad. People will make wisteria flowers or water-boiled cold salad, or wrap them in oil, or use them as additives to make flavored foods such as "purple radish cake", "wisteria cake" and "wisteria cake".
Cherry blossoms: Generally speaking, all the cherry blossoms we can eat are 20% off. Cherry blossom juice can be made into cherry blossom tofu, and mixed with flour can be made into cherry blossom cake. In Japanese restaurants, there are also cherry blossom sushi and cherry blossom soup.
Candied flower
Luoshen flower: The candied Luoshen flower tastes pleasant, has high nutritional value, has the effect of enriching blood and invigorating qi, and is very suitable for the elderly and women.
Take flowers as tea
Lavender: Generally, the lavender flowers you can buy can be washed and eaten directly, while the dried lavender flowers you can buy more easily can be soaked in water or ground with sugar and added to dessert. Lavender can also be cooked with milk and black tea bags to make milk tea, which is very sweet.
Calendula: Calendula dried flowers can be used to make tea. As a compositae plant, its taste is very similar to the familiar chrysanthemum tea. In addition to simply making scented tea, the petals of marigold can also be put into sweet soup or mixed into salad. Because the flowers are large and brightly colored, they are also very visual when put into the recently popular Shui Xin Xuan cake.
Scientific research shows that edible flowers are rich in protein, fat, starch, amino acids, vitamins A, B, C, E, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium and other elements, and also contain some substances that can delay the aging of human tissues. Edible flowers not only have strong aesthetic color, but also have health care and medicinal effects;
For example, chrysanthemums can improve eyesight and nourish the liver, peony flowers can replenish blood and qi, Chinese rose flowers can promote blood circulation and reduce swelling, jasmine flowers can grow hair and strengthen tendons, plum blossoms can nourish the heart and relieve pain, and pear flowers can moisten dryness and resolve phlegm.
Cauliflower can prolong life. People in Gaojiasuo, the hometown of longevity in the world, take marigold flowers as their daily food, so the longevity of local people is considered to be related to eating marigold flowers. In order to live forever, Empress Dowager Cixi often feeds on flowers such as lotus flowers and roses.
Edible flowers also contain cellulose and anthocyanins. Cellulose can promote bat movement in gastrointestinal tract, clean intestinal wall to some extent, and help prevent intestinal malignant tumor. After being absorbed by human body, cellulose and anthocyanins can eliminate free radicals with oxidative damage, delay aging, and prevent and reduce cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
In recent years, there has been a flower-eating craze at home and abroad. Flower food is considered as a new trend of food consumption in 2 1 century. Flower shops in Paris, London, California, China and Hongkong are doing brisk business, so they need to order food a few days in advance.
Flowers feast
Yunnan province has the reputation of "plant kingdom", where there are hundreds of flower varieties. Rose cakes, moon cakes with flowers, scrambled eggs with jasmine flowers and cold cauliflower, these delicious Yunnan dishes, have come into people's field of vision with flowers as the medium.
There are many restaurants in Beijing that focus on Yunnan cuisine, and almost all the raw materials of flowers are airlifted from Yunnan. There is a hot pot restaurant in Yunnan, which airlifts a batch of flowers from Yunnan to Beijing every three days, more frequently in the peak season. Most of the flowers that arrive at the store are roses and chrysanthemums. After chopping, it will be added to the production of shrimp and fish, and the fine products will have a faint floral fragrance.
Some experts predict that flowers will become a new food source; The business direction of edible flowers should be diversified, such as independent processing or joint processing with food institutions. It is believed that with the development and application of high technology, the edible value and medicinal value of flowers will be more widely and deeply utilized and studied. In addition, China is rich in flower resources and its development prospect is very attractive.