Why not try cooking with dahlias? Here is everything you need to know about dahlias and three recipes to get you started.
Dahlias are the national flower of Mexico. They have a long history and were prized as decorative flowers, but also as food and medicine. The tubers are a healthy source of potassium. Try adding to your morning yogurt. You can sprinkle the petals on top and grate the roots and mix them into the yogurt. You can also add flowers to salads, water, and stews.
The older, heirloom varieties can taste like spicy apples, carrots, or celery roots. They can taste bitter when fresh but If you store them, the inulin will convert to fructose making them sweeter. The crunchy tubers add a subtle flavor to salads and are ingredients in a quick bread similar to zucchini bread.
You can eat Dahlia tubers raw or cooked. Treat them like you would yams or Jerusalem artichokes. It is best to peel them, as the flavor of the skin is often unpleasant. The types of dahlia tubers that are best for eating are usually about the size of boiling potatoes. Some are short and rounded. Others are relatively long and thin. The tubers are a rich source of potassium with 100 grams coming in at 1110 mg, providing you with 32% of the recommended daily value.
Three recipes for you to try out
Recipe #1 – Dahlia Salad
Dahlia tubers and petals can be used to create a unique and tasty salad
The tubers of dahlia heirloom varieties taste like spicy apples, carrots, or celery roots. The crunchy tubers add a subtle flavor to salads and are ingredients in a quick bread similar to zucchini bread.
You can eat Dahlia tubers raw or cooked. Treat them like you would yams or Jerusalem artichokes. It is best to peel them, as the flavor of the skin is often unpleasant. The types of dahlia tubers that are best for eating are usually about the size of boiling potatoes. Some are short and rounded. Others are relatively long and thin. The tubers are a rich source of potassium with 100 grams coming in at 1110 mg, providing you with 32% of the recommended daily value.
Ingredients:
3 large carrots, diced, preferably a mix of yellow and orange
1 pound dahlia tubers, pared and diced
1/2 pound fresh green string beans, cut into diamonds
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
3 tbsp vinegar (tarragon, chervil, or dill vinegar recommended)
mayonnaise or yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
1 hard-boiled egg, quartered
Mixed herbs (dill, parsley, chives), chopped
1 small Handful of dahlia petals
Preparation:
First, steam the carrots, dahlia tubers, and beans for 5 minutes or until still slightly “al dente.”
Then, put the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add the oil and vinegar while still hot.
Let the vegetables cool, and then add the mayonnaise or yogurt, so it coats all the vegetables evenly.
Finally, transfer the vegetable mixture to a serving bowl and garnish with the egg and chopped herbs.
If you like, you can add a few petals for garnish or mix them in the salad.
Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6
Recipe #2 – Dahlia Quick Bread
Dahlia bread is a great substitute for Zucchini bread. If you have never eaten dahlia bread before, you will be surprised at how good it is. Why not surprise family and friends with a new and unique recipe. I like to decorate the bread with a few petals or a complete flower.
If you have a favorite recipe for zucchini bread, you can use that and just substitute the grated tubers for the grated zucchini. Or you can use the recipe below.
In the fall when we cut up tubers to store for the winter, we save the larger tubers without a growing eye for making this quick bread. It is best to grate the peeled tubers just before you add them to the bread mixture. Dahlia bread is easy to make and stores well in the freezer.
Instructions:
Make sure the tubers have been freshly dug, so there’s no thick skin on them.
Washed them well. You can peel them, but it is not necessary.
First, beat eggs until light and foamy.
Then, add oil, sugar, grated dahlia tuber, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well.
Next, sift dry ingredients together and add to liquid ingredients. Mix only until blended.
Now, place into greased loaf pans.
And, bake in 175 degrees Celsius oven for 1 hour.
Helpful hints
You will need about 250 to 280 grams of unpeeled tubers to fill a cup with grated tubers.
When you peel tubers, they tend to oxidize quickly, put them in water to stay white.
The bread stores well in the freezer.
Recipe #3 -Dahlia Lemonade
Here, is a Mexican recipe for a refreshing lemonade made with both Tubers and Petals
Dahlia lemonade is a recipe from Mexico for lemonade. It uses both tubers and petals. The tubers add a crisp and refreshing note, and the petals add spice. The preparation is very easy, and the results are fantastic. It makes for a refreshing and healthy drink on a hot summer day.
Ingredients:
100 grams of dahlia tuber
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons of honey
2 drops of peppermint extract
3 1/2 cups of cold water
Dahlia petals to taste
Instructions:
First, wash and peel the tuber well and cut it into small pieces to make it easier to blend.
Next, place the dahlia tuber, lemon juice, honey, and mint in the blender cup. Blend until smooth.
Finally, add the mixture to a pitcher with the water, ice, and petals.
Enjoy chilled.
We’d love to hear from you!
Why not try out one or all of our recipes and let us know what you think.
If you are interested in learning about more ways to incorporate this healthy and unique tuber into your diet, check out the links below.
