Edible flowers : a global history / Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kirker, Constance L., author.

Newman, Mary, author.

Series:

Edible.

Edible

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plants, Edible.

Cooking (Flowers).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (166 pages) : color illustrations.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London : Reaktion Books, 2016.

Summary:

Most of us like to look at them, but why on earth would anyone want to eat them? As Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman show in this book, however, flowers have a long history as a tasty ingredient in a variety of cuisines. The Greeks, Romans, Persians, Ottomans, Mayans, Chinese, and Indians all knew how to cook with them for centuries, and today contemporary chefs use them to add something special to their dishes. Edible Flowers is the fascinating history of how flowers have been used in cooking, from ancient Greek dishes to the today's molecular gastronomy and farm-to-table restaurants. Looking at flowers' natural qualities: their unique and beautiful appearance, their pungent fragrance, and their surprisingly good taste, Kirker and Newman proffer a bouquet of dishes--from soups to stews to desserts to beverages--that use them in interesting ways. Tying this culinary history into a larger cultural one, they show how flowers' cultural, symbolic, and religious connotations have added value and meaning to dishes in daily life and special occasions. From fried squash blossoms to marigold dressings, this book rediscovers the flower not just as something beautiful but as something absolutely delicious.

Contents:

Cover

Edible Flowers: A Global History

Imprint Page

Contents

Introduction

1. The Ancient World

2. The Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century

3. The Victorian Era to Today

4. Asia

5. The Mediterranean and the Middle East

6. Europe

7. The Americas

Afterword

Precautions When Eating Edible Flowers

Flower Dinner Menu

Recipes

Select Bibliography

Websites and Associations

Acknowledgements

Photo Acknowledgements

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed December 15, 2016).