Crystallized flowers or microgreens are becoming more popular as decorations for dishes, cakes, soups and salads. Microgreens are also commonly known as candied flowers, edible flowers, flower crystals and herb crystals. They are basically crystallized flowers or vegetables, such as basil crystals or firestix. You can usually see them in restaurants and parties. They are used as decorations but they are also edible.
Generally we eat a lot of flowers, we do not just think of them as flowers. For example, we commonly eat capers, cauliflower, squash blooms, artichokes and of course broccoli. When it comes to crystallized flowers or microgreens, which are actually several days old tiny leaves, they offer more nutritional value than their counterpart the grown up vegetables. There are different varieties of microgreens which offer more nutritional value. Radish, beet, chia, broccoli, wasabi, kale, arugula, celery, cucumber and lettuces are just some of the varieties of microgreens.
When it comes to making dishes more visually appealing, such as salads and cakes and different types of desserts, edible flowers add vibrant colors that other edible decorations cannot offer. And when it comes to a cup of tea or a cocktail, edible flowers really make them look uniquely beautiful. For parties, such as weddings, they offer unique way of decorating the wedding cake. And the main course can even complement the design of the cake using the same flowers.