Flowers and buds
Cloves, capers, saffron's crocus, rose and lavender: picked as buds or blooms and dried.
Flower spices are buds or blossoms used for scent and flavour. Cloves are dried flower buds, and capers, saffron crocus, hibiscus, rose and lavender all belong to this wider group.
What they are
The clove is the unopened flower bud of a tropical tree. Other flower spices include dried rose buds, lavender, chamomile, hibiscus calyces and the bud of the caper bush. Their aroma is delicate and comes from volatile oils in the petals or bud.
How they are used
Cloves stud meats, rice and pickles and flavour baking. Rose petals are used in Persian and Indian sweets, hibiscus in drinks across Africa and the Caribbean, and lavender in the French herb mix called herbes de Provence. Flowers are often used whole and removed before eating.
Buying and keeping
Buy whole and keep them dry and dark. Cloves should be reddish brown, with a head intact. Delicate petals and buds should smell fresh, not dusty.
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