Estella Hung eats some flowers. 

Fancy a flower? They’ve been in the human diet for as long as we’ve been hungry. Some have been elevated to religious significance while others have been lauded for their nutritional value. You can boil them, grind them to a powder, dry them or eat them raw. You can go for the roots, the stems, the bulbs, the seeds or the petals. The humble flower is a true paragon of culinary versatility. Here we offer some indulgent modern concoctions with a flowery twist.

Lotus

Lotus, particularly lotus seed, is used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine and East Asian cuisine. Lotus seeds are considered a “cooling” agent in Chinese medicine. Dried lotus seeds can be eaten raw in congee and soups, popped like popcorn, or eaten in the form of a paste common in many East Asian desserts. Most notable is the mooncake (pictured), traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Try mini-moon cakes (eight pieces for $130) from Kee Wah Bakery, 30 Wellington St., Central.

Elderflower

Elderflowers and their berries (blue or black only) contain flavonoids which possess antioxidant and immunologic properties. Historically, the flowers and leaves have been used to treat pain, swelling and inflammation. Elderflower berries have been used in food as flavoring, and in the preparation of elderberry wines and pies. Now elderflowers are popping up on cocktail menus all over the city. Try Bacar’s “Floral Fizz” mocktail ($38) or a “Mayflower” martini ($65) (pictured). But before you get too overly excited about the elderflower, be warned that its bark, leaves and seeds can be toxic as they contain the cyanogenic glycoside, sambunigrin, which is a natural defense against herbivores. Bacar, G/F, Wing Lee Building, 2 Shelley St., SoHo, Central, 2521-8322.

Lavender

The soothing scent of lavender is by no means used exclusively to refresh the bathroom or scare away moths. Lavender has many alleged medicinal uses, such as aiding sleep, healing acne and acting as an anti-inflammatory agent in treating skin burns. While lavender is commonly used in aromatherapy and teas, Café Des Artistes have stretched the imagination with its scrumptious lavender crème brûlée served with a dollop of lavender ice cream ($85, pictured). However, Executive Chef Didier Rochat warns not to put too much Lavender into the crème brûlée. “I put about 20g of Lavender per liter of cream. Otherwise, it will get too bitter,” he says. Café Des Artistes, 1/F, California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar St, Central,
2526-3880.

Rose

The rose is literally as sweet as its connotations – the rose petal was used as a garnish in celebratory cuisines of ancient Rome and is still a favorite in many Middle Eastern desserts. Furthermore, rosehips are rich in Vitamin C and flavanoid antioxidants. But for something more contemporary and romantic, try Lotus’ “Rose Blossom Foam” ($80) – orange-infused 42 Below vodka and Campari shaken with fresh red ruby grapefruit juice, and finished with rose petal foam (pictured). Lotus, 37-43 Pottinger St., Central, 2543-6290.

Osmanthus

This tiny white flower, native to temperate Asia, is commonly used in Chinese teas, desserts and sauces. According to Chef Mr. Poon of Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine, the purported moisturizing function of osmanthus is a favorite with the ladies. “It’s good for the skin and throat on dry days,” he says. Kung Tak Lam makes a variety of osmanthus desserts, including an osmanthus cake (pictured); $18 for four pieces. Kung Tak Lam, 7/F, 1 Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2312-7800.

Sunflower

If the Incans worshiped the sunflower as an icon of their supreme god, then there must be something good in it. The health-conscious certainly think so as they munch away on sunflower seeds, spread sunflower-derived butter on their morning toast, and heat their wok with sunflower oil. They could also try Hutong’s “Purple Heaven,” dried sunflower mixed with ginger honey ($55). Hutong, 28/F, 1 Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 3428-8342.

Saffron

Most saffron lovers probably won’t know that the spice, despite its characteristic yellowness, is derived from a domesticated purple flower, the saffron crocrus. And it’s expensive, with 150 flowers yielding only about 12g of the stuff. Saffron cultivation goes back some 3,000 years to Bronze Age Crete. It has been used, among other things, as a medical remedy, perfume, fabric dye and an aphrodisiac. As a medicinal agent, saffron purportedly has cancer-suppressing, mutation-preventing and anti-oxidizing properties. India Today makes a nice saffron rice dish, “Kesri Pullao,” for $38 (pictured). “Kesri” is Hindi for saffron. India Today, Unit 1A, 1/F, Millioncity, 26-30 Elgin St., SoHo, Central, 2801-5959.