For the seasonal eater, flowers are an ephemeral pleasure, in bud and bloom for a few weeks, at most. Why eat flowers? Because they make food beautiful; they are beautiful food. And in some cases, they can have a defining culinary presence, offering flavor and aroma beyond their obviously appealing good looks. Here is a shortlist of some of my favorite edible flowers of spring (summer will bring a fresh wave of blooms to grace our plates, and improve our drinks).
Photography by Marie Viljoen.
Black Locust
North America’s native black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, is so at home in Europe (where it arrived in the 1600s) that Hungarians embrace it as their national tree. Most Europeans know it as acacia, even though it does not belong to the Acacia genus (usually commonly known as the mimosa clan). Confusing. Acacia honey? It’s made by bees gathering nectar from black locust flowers. Whatever you call them, these pea-like flowers are delicious: tender and voluptuous in the mouth, and discernibly sweet.
Black locust flowers work as well in desserts and drinks as in savory dishes. Fold them into cooled couscous (along with toasted almonds) for a composed salad, toss them across crushed cucumbers, roll them into damp rice wrappers, or dip and fry them for unforgettably celebratory beignets. Or make a seasonal wine to remember the trees’ late spring splendor:
May Wine with Black Locust Flowers
Adapted from Forage, Harvest, Feast – A Wild-Inspired Cuisine
In this fortified, floral wine infusion, black locust flowers stand in for the more traditional sweet woodruff that is used in Europe. It keeps well, bottled, like a pared-down vermouth. Serve as a spritzer with ice and chilled sparkling water, on a balmy late-spring night.
- 1 bottle dry, unwooded white wine
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 3 oz black locust blossoms
- ¼ cup concentrated wisteria syrup (or substitute sugar)
- 2 pieces of lemon zest, 2 inches long
Combine all the ingredients in a large carafe and mix well. Allow to infuse overnight. Strain and chill before serving as an aperitif. (You can steam or sauté the leftover flowers gently to serve as a light side dish dressed with either olive oil and lemon, or toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce.)
Brassicas
