Ylang ylang

Cananga odorata · Edible flower

40 pairings

Ylang ylang is the drooping, ribbon-petalled yellow flower of the tropical Cananga odorata tree — one of the most powerfully scented blossoms in the world, banana-and-jasmine sweet with a spicy balsamic depth. It reaches the kitchen almost entirely as an essence: the steam-distilled oil is a permitted food flavouring, used in trace amounts in confectionery, ice cream and drinks.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep yellow and strongly scented, cut this morningBrowned and papery, the perfume gone stale

Same dayThere is no cold chain for this flower — picked blossoms are meant to be used at once. If you must wait, spread them thinly in the shade rather than heaping them; warm and piled they ferment. Infuse and strain, using more flowers rather than a longer steep, which drags the petals' green bitterness across with the perfume.Use it today

Where it came fromA grower who states nothing has been sprayed on the tree

Colour along the strapsYellow but still green-cast along the straps, the scent not yet built

One flower in the handStill supple, the outer straps a little softened

Smell up closeStill clearly perfumed, but you have to put your nose to it

What to look for, from deep yellow and strongly scented, cut this morning to browned and papery, the perfume gone stale.

Preparing