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Celebrate spring with flowers in your recipes

Celebrate spring with flowers in your recipes

Sun and colors give the clue: spring is there. The charm of nature, made of pollen, spreads through every corner and brings joy. And not only is vision stimulated: all senses are blurred by changes in the landscape, including the palate. Few people know, but flowers look great as the ingredients of many recipes. They add, in addition to flavor, a lot of beauty to dishes, says chef Marcos Alvim, from Enotria Bistrô, in Rio de Janeiro.

What are the most common edible flowers?

These are the Capuchins, the roses, the begonias, the marigolds, the sweethearts, the chrysanthemums, the tulips and the lavender. Cravines and lemon verbenas can also be used, although they are less popular.

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In general, do they harmonize with what kind of dish?

Salads, vegetables and fruits, sweet of flowers. They are also added to pickles, jellies, vinaigrettes, syrups, breads, cakes and biscuits, desserts and pies. A very common use is in the decoration of the dishes.

Do they have any nutritional properties?

Many of them have nutritional properties. This is the case of the Capuchin, which has vitamin C and a spicy taste. For beauty, it is also used to decorate salads and dishes. As the inclusion of edible flowers in food is still very recent, much is not known about their nutritional value. However, it can be said that, as the flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, they are also rich in minerals and vitamins. Roses, for example, are rich in vitamin C. The leaves of some others have iron, calcium and phosphorus. Besides, they have low calorie, because they are very light and with high water content. Marigold has been used for many years for dyeing cakes and syrups. The pansy can turn salad dressing and has a mild taste.

flowers in the dish - Photo Getty Images

Is it possible to make a list with the most common characteristics and uses of the main flowers for culinary use?

They can be used to aromatize vinegars and olive oils; speckled in salads, coloring and giving a different flavor. A very interesting tip is to make ice cubes with flowers, to give a special touch to drinks. Some of them even have therapeutic use if infused into teas (but consult a naturopath before any experiment).

Among the flowers we use in the decoration of the rooms, which can also be used in the kitchen?

The roses, begonias and sweet-

The flowers used in the food are not the same ones marketed in flower shops (which are grown with chemical products). Edible flowers must be purchased from specialized producers, who do not use any type of pesticide or chemical treatment in planting. Flowers like azalea and parrot beak are highly poisonous, hence the importance of not using any type of flower in the gastronomy.

flowers in the dish - Photo Getty Images

How to choose the best flowers? The appearance is still the most important?

People should choose flowers in specialized producers. The appearance also counts, but more importantly, they are not cultivated with chemicals (1768). For producers, the best time to harvest them is soon after the dew has dried up in the morning. Or at the end of the afternoon, if the flowers appear to be in good condition.

You can not pick the flowers in the middle of the day, since the heat can dry the flavor and cause a loss of color too. Never use flowers from your own garden, which may have been contaminated in some way or contain poisonous parts.

White parts and twigs should not be chewed and must be removed before using them in the kitchen. Wash the flowers with water (only) delicately or maybe even using a spray of water, as they are fragile and hurt easily. Always dry with paper towels and allow to dry in the air even.

Can the flowers go to the fire?

Ideally they should be consumed uncooked, preserving the appearance and taste in its entirety. petals go to the table

At first, the beauty of the flowers intimidates. But do not be afraid to risk, experimentation is the best way to become this ingredient extra intimate. The only rule is not to cook the flowers or they lose much of their lovely appearance, says Anette Heuser, a partner of Herbs Finas (company specializing in the cultivation of flowers for culinary consumption). Use all your creativity and include the flowers at the end of the dishes, even a simple lettuce salad will be much more attractive.

Refreshing roses

Who lives in São Paulo or is passing through the city, can not miss the chance taste the ice cream of roses. It is part of the Soroko ice cream menu, located on Augusta Street and known for its soy milk recipes (mainly consumed by vegans: it is a tribe that dispenses with no animal food including milk and its derivatives ). The recipe takes, in addition to the syrup of roses, the very jelly produced with the flower.

Soroko

Sorveteria Rua Augusta, 305. Consolação

Phone: (11) 3258-8939


Eight foods that are not what they seem and can harm health and diet

Eight foods that are not what they seem and can harm health and diet

Did you know that some foods are modified by the food industry to cheapen its cost? However, the consumer often does not know what these changes are. For example: Did you know that the cherry in syrup can be chuchu? We list eight foods that are not exactly what they seem, we explain if there are any problems in the consumption of the "impostor" version and, so that you do not switch cat by hare, we explain how to find out which ones the ingredients that actually make these foods.

(Food)

Recommended consumption of sugar is 10% of total calories consumed, according to the American directive

Recommended consumption of sugar is 10% of total calories consumed, according to the American directive

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(Food)