How do lavender flowers taste blue?
Lavender flowers are mainly grown for their essential oil. But it is; unfortunately, a little underestimated today, delicate spice with a beautiful intensity. Lavandula has a sweet and spicy fragrance with components of lemon and mint. The taste is similar, with an additional bitter aftertaste - identical to camphor.
Botany: Lavandula - labiate
Lavender (Lavandula) belongs to the family of the labiate family. The plant grows up to 2 meters high and is typical of the High Provence. In colder regions, however, it is smaller, here you can expect an average height of 50 cm. It has its origin in the coastal area of the Mediterranean.
Culinary use of lavender flowers
Lavender has a wonderfully intense aroma and is therefore used sparingly. There are countless uses for this. Especially in the south of France, it serves as a spice. Here you not only season potatoes with it but also grilled food. It flavors sweet as well as salty and hearty dishes. Lavandula is also popular in Spanish cuisine. It is essential for the preparation of aioli (garlic mayonnaise).
Lavender sugar. Take some flowers and put them in a glass with a little sugar for a week. During this time, the sugar absorbs the exquisite aroma of Lavandula and is therefore suitable for sprinkling desserts such as fruit salads, rhubarb, plum compote, or for baking. For a more intense taste, you can also grind the flowers with the sugar. So the sugar absorbs even more of its aroma.
Lavender vinegar: Flavor vinegar with Lavandula, which you can then use for salad dressing.
Add a few flowers to your homemade strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries jam at the end of the cooking time or make them with ice cream or chocolate ice cream. It tastes delicious.
You can also make a Lavandula salt. For this, please put one tablespoon of flowers in a mortar. Crush it a little and pour the flowers into a jar of fleur de sel of your choice from the Camargue, Madagascar, or Guerande. Carefully fold in the herbs and let the salt stand a week before using it.
Lavandula in southern French cuisine
In Provence / Southern French cuisine, it is very often used as a spice. It perfumes fish dishes, fish soup bouillabaisse, vegetable dishes, stew, poultry, and flavorful mutton. Lavender is often combined with savory and rosemary. It also belongs in our herb de Provence mixture.
Lavender goes well with pheasant, rabbit, lamb, and poultry.
When trying out, please note that lavender is very flavorful. Use it sparingly.
Lavender can also be combined very well with the following herbs: savory, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, thyme, parsley.
