Agriculture & Food, Volume 6, 2018

Streszczenie: This work aimed to characterize the use of edible flowers for gastronomic purposes. A survey was done by internet in Portugal, and 147 valid questionnaires were completed, by individuals between 18 and 78 years old. The instrument included questions not only about consumption habits, but also about the knowledge relatively to edible flowers. The results revealed that flowers are appreciated when it comes to gastronomic preparations and could be consumed more frequently. They are recognized mostly for their organoleptic and decorative characteristics. Edible flowers are a part of modern gastronomic trends, and people are consuming this type of product more frequently, mostly fresh and particularly in salads. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the possible risks associated to their consumption, such as pesticides or toxicity, but fortunately the Portuguese consumers are aware of this problem. It is a reality that the market of edible flowers is expanding, and restaurants appear as important links on the chain of edible flowers consumption. Still, to further incentive the home preparation of recipes with edible flowers, it is necessary to provide cookbooks that include more edible flowers as in their recipes.