Best Lavenders for Culinary Use
Lavender became popular as culinary heard for its sweet, minty flavour. Using lavender for beginners seems to be hard due to its easy possibility to overpower other ingredients and give soapy test to the dish.
According to Sarah Berringer Bader (professional lavender grower in USA and author of the Lavender's Lovers' Handbook), following varieties have proved to taste the best in recipes:
Lavandula angustifolia "Buena Vista"
Lavandula angustifolia "Folgate"
Lavandula angustifolia "Hidcote Pink"
Lavandula angustifolia "Melissa"
Lavandula angustifolia "Royal Velvet"
Buying lavender in the local nursery, blossoming in the pritty pot might be appealing to you, but always remember about chemicals usually used for mass production. Unless you pick it up in your own or friends garden, it is better to go for commercially sold organic dried lavender buds.
Also, you should remember that essence gets stronger in dried lavender buds, so using a third of the amount of fresh lavender called for is recommended.
There are several well-known pairing combinations with lavender:
Lavender's sweet, minty flavor complements a range of foods, both sweet and savory. Ingredients lavender goes well with: strawberries, blueberries, pears, lemon, orange, honey, sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme, black pepper, and chocolate.
Start using it by small amount, giving only a hint, light purple note to your culinary creations.
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