But that’s not the way it should be! Cooking with culinary lavender is a fun and delicious process, as culinary lavender brings out the best flavors in sweet and savory dishes – when it’s used correctly.
Lavender highlights the richness of fruits, compliments herbs and peppery dishes, adds intrigue and depth to meat and vegetable roasts, and enhances sweet desserts with unique floral and sweet notes.
“You want to look for that vibrant blue-purple color as opposed to grayish-purple,” Cheney says. Cheney also recommends giving the herbs a nice whiff—good culinary lavender should have a “spicy, minty quality but not an overly perfumy aroma.”
What makes lavender “culinary”?
The term ‘culinary lavender’ refers to both cultivar (type) of lavender and the way it’s processed.
Some lavender cultivars are better than others when it comes to cooking.
Popular culinary lavender cultivars include:
- L. angustifolia ‘Folgate’
- L. angustifolia ‘Melissa’
- L. angustifolia ‘Croxton’s Wild’
- L. angustifolia ‘Wykoff’
- L. angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’
- L. angustifolia ‘Royal Velvet’
- L. angustifolia ‘Buena Vista’
Notice anything about these cultivars? They’re all L. angustifolias – commonly known as True Lavenders.
Each cultivar has a distinct taste. ‘Melissa’ is slightly peppery. ‘Croxton’s Wild’ has an earthy, cinnamony taste. ‘Miss Katherine’ is sweet and floral. A great go-to culinary lavender cultivar is ‘Buena Vista’ and ‘Folgate’.
There are many, many types of culinary lavender cultivars, but most of them are types of True Lavender, vs. Lavandin, for example.
Lavandins (L. x. intermedia) is edible, as is all lavender, but its flavor can be resinous and pungent. A Lavandin type will make a dish taste bitter.
Culinary Lavender
FAQ
How do I know if I can eat my lavender?
What varieties of lavender are edible?
How to tell the difference between culinary lavender and regular lavender?
How do you make lavender safe to eat?
Is English lavender edible?
The great thing about English Lavender is every variety can be used for cooking. Some varieties are more sought after than others, but all of the around 100 varieties in the Lavandula Angustifolia species are considered edible lavenders.
Are Lavandula angustifolia edible?
Some varieties are more sought after than others, but all of the around 100 varieties in the Lavandula Angustifolia species are considered edible lavenders. Our Angustifolia lavender buds can be used for culinary purposes and have a blend of Royal Velvet and Folgate cultivars of lavender.
Is Lavandin edible?
Lavandins ( L. x. intermedia) is edible, as is all lavender, but its flavor can be resinous and pungent. A Lavandin type will make a dish taste bitter. Now, about the process. Culinary lavender is defined partly by cultivar and partly by process. First, we begin by harvesting lavender at the optimal time for culinary use.
How many types of lavender are edible?
There are hundreds of types of lavender under the genus lavandula. Therefore, it can be confusing to know what types of lavender are edible. Furthermore, what type of lavender tastes best? We are here to help you figure out which lavender is most edible and best for culinary purposes. In the genus lavandula, there are 47 species.