Nowadays it is not uncommon for consumers to stand in the supermarket and look amazed because their eyes fall on a salad bowl with flowers in it. Often these include the flowers of horned violets. These are edible
Are horned violets edible and how do you use them in the kitchen?
Violet flowers are edible and can be used as a colorful garnish. They taste slightly sweet and smell wonderful. Use them in salads, on cakes, in yoghurt dishes or candied as a sweet. However, be careful not to consume flowers that have been treated with pesticides.
horned violet flowers – the colorful garnish
horned violet flowers are magically beautiful. They come in a variety of colors: jet black, royal blue, purple, rose, flame red, orange, lemon yellow and white. Multi-colored flowers are also not uncommon. This wide range of colors makes them an ideal garnish element in the kitchen.
Ideas for use in the kitchen
The slightly sweet tasting and wonderfully fragrant flowers can be eaten raw, baked or candied. They are suitable for the following dishes, for example:
- candied as candy
- on cakes and tarts
- in fruit salads
- in flower salads
- in vegetable salads
- on cold plates
- for pralines and chocolate
- in yogurt dishes
Make your own candied horned violet flowers
The leaves are also edible. But they look less decorative. Therefore the flowers are candied. It works like this:
- Make protein-water mixture
- Coat the flowers with it
- Sprinkle sugar carefully on top
- Let dry (e.g. in a dehydrator or oven at 50 °C)
Beware of pesticides, fungicides and Co
You shouldn't eat all the horned violets you see without thinking about it. If you buy horned violets in pots from a flower shop or hardware store, you should not eat them. As a rule, these were raised with artificial fertilizer. They have also been treated with chemical pesticides such as pesticides and fungicides and are poisonous.
The commercially available horned violets are not designed to be eaten, but rather to look beautiful. If you still plan to eat the flowers, you have one option. You should wait at least a year until the horned violet has broken down the pesticides and fertilizers.
The alternative is to sow the horned violets yourself. It's very easy:
- Fill seed tray or pot with soil
- Sprinkle seeds over it and press lightly if necessary
- Spray with water and keep moist afterwards
- Germination temperature: 15 to 18 °C
- Germination time: 4 weeks
Tips & Tricks
Pick the flowers just before eating. Then their aroma is best and the scent is strongest.
