Wisteria flower

Wisteria floribunda · Edible flower

40 pairings

Wisteria is the pendulous, grape-scented flower of the climbing legumes Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria) and W. sinensis (Chinese wisteria) — whose long violet-to-white racemes are battered and fried as tempura in Japan, or steeped into jelly and floral wine; only the open flowers are eaten, as the seeds and pods are toxic.

Picking a good onedrag

Just opened, colour even, grape-sweetBrowned and shedding, smelling sour

Shop freshBlossom only, and bought to be eaten: florist, garden-centre and roadside flowers carry sprays cleared for ornamentals, which do not rinse off.Food-grade only

Where it came fromA vine you know has had no spray on it

What is in the bagWhole racemes, no pod and no leaf on them

The blossomMostly open, a tip or two tanning brown

Smell at the racemeGrape-floral, there with a nose up close

What to look for, from just opened, colour even, grape-sweet to browned and shedding, smelling sour.

Preparing