Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia · Edible flower

40 pairings

Lavender is the fragrant flowering herb of Lavandula angustifolia (English or "true" lavender), a small evergreen shrub of the mint family grown for its purple flower spikes. In the kitchen the dried buds lend a sweet, floral, faintly camphorous note to baking, syrups and the herb blend herbes de Provence — and a little goes a long way.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep violet buds, sweet and floralGrey dust and stalk, no scent

Shop freshThe ordinary culinary jar, in date. Use it by the pinch - a teaspoon of buds is plenty for a batch of shortbread - and lavender is likely safe in the amounts foods actually use; the FDA lists it among the spices and seasonings generally recognised as safe for their intended use, which is to say as a flavouring. The overdose you will meet is a flavour one: too much turns a dish perfumed, bitter and soapy. Lavandin and Spanish lavender taste camphorous beside true lavender - an objection to the flavour, not a poison. Concentrated lavender essential oil is a different article at a different strength and is not a substitute for buds.Everyday best

Where it came fromFood merchant's bulk buds, unlabelled type

Colour of the budsViolet dulling toward grey-purple

What is in the packetBuds clean, a little stem and fines

Rubbed between the fingersCrush readily, still hold their shape

Scent when rubbedFloral clear, the sweetness quieter

What to look for, from deep violet buds, sweet and floral to grey dust and stalk, no scent.

Preparing