The 'Edible Flower Food Festival' Launched in Kolkata

The health conscious foodies can detoxify themselves with gourmet of dishes made from flower extracts, fruits and other organic herbs in a unique food festival.

The festival will be held at The Sonnet hotel, Kolkata from Nov 23-25.

Organic Foods - 'Natural products'
Organic Foods are produced by the ‘natural method’, without the use of chemicals like pesticides, fertilizers or sewage sludge.

On the menu are vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes such as herb-infused fresh fruit salad with cinnamon and rose extracts and braised chicken salad with grape juice, flowers, fruits and herbs.

"The use of floral extracts along with herbs and fruits makes meat dishes ideal for the health conscious," said Niladri Chakraborty, the hotel's corporate chef.

"Diabetics can try these. The only oil we have used is olive oil and in minute quantities," he said.

Figure Foods
There are foods researched by nutrition science which exert effects in such a way that the body is pushed towards a fat-loss mode.

The dishes have extracts of tulip, pansy, rose, lily and blossoms of basil besides chive, banana, fennel, clover, mint, passion flower, rosemary, thyme and lilac.

The flowers are used in various forms -- plucked, powdered or as liquid extract.

Complete Natural Wonder Foods
Aloe vera juice provides anti-inflammatory action in the digestive system. 100 g of amla contains 600 mg of this protective vitamin.Sprouts are one of the densest sources of nutrition.

"When you eat the items, you will get a range of aromas -- from sweet to salty," said Chakraborty.

Accompanying the floral components, there are a host of herbs and fruits to enhance the flavors and provide medicinal benefits.

Raw Food Diet
Raw food diet, made of uncooked and unprocessed food, is gaining popularity in the world of health, fitness and weight loss. However, with its drawbacks, it cannot be considered as a wholesome diet. Learn more about the raw food diet in this article.

"Chive blossoms are useful in preventing anemia while pomegranates prevent blood clots. All the individual components have benefits," said Chakraborty.

He said the dishes could be made at home too.

"They might take a bit of time but they are easy to prepare. Most of the ingredients are easily available. If people can try these dishes off and on at home, they will live longer," said Chakraborty.

Source-IANS