Daylilies are edible, tasty and versatile!

Daylilies are edible, tasty and versatile!

Daylilies - the insider tip in Chinese cuisine

Anyone who previously believed that daylilies were poisonous is wrong. In East Asia these plants - outstandingly the yellow-red daylily - are extremely popular in the kitchen. Chinese cuisine in particular has valued daylilies for thousands of years. The daylilies are grown especially for the purpose of serving as food!

also read

  • Cut daylilies - attached every now and then
  • Daylilies - Poisonous or Not?
  • What care do daylilies need?

Which parts of the plant are edible?

All parts of the plant can be eaten. The buds and leaf saplings are particularly popular. You can also prepare a lot with the flowers. The more mature leaves, roots and seeds of the daylilies are used less often in the kitchen.

How do buds, flowers, leaves and roots taste?

The buds taste crisp, fresh and slightly sweet. In the raw state, the flowers have a pleasant sweet note, which results from the nectar. They also taste good when dried. The leaves are sweet and subtly leek-like and hot and the roots are reminiscent of nuts or chestnuts in taste and potatoes in consistency.

Preparation and recipes with daylilies

This is how the plant parts are usually prepared:

  • Buds: raw, deep-fried, boiled, fried, pickled, baked
  • blossoming flowers: raw, dried, cooked
  • Leaf saplings: raw, cooked
  • ripe leaves: stewed, boiled
  • Roots: raw (grated), cooked
  • Seeds: crushed, ground

The following recipe ideas for the plant parts of the daylily are common:

  • Nibble on the buds raw or fry them in oil
  • Flowers for salads, yoghurt, quark, ice cream, cakes, sandwiches, rice dishes, soups, filled with minced meat
  • Leaf saplings for soups (like preparing asparagus)
  • ripe leaves for salads, soups, with pasta, steamed in salted water
  • Roots for salads, potato substitutes, casseroles, raw and grated in salads
  • Seeds mashed in soups

Tips & Tricks

Before consuming the flowers, the stamens should be removed in the middle. They are not very tasty and have an unpleasant note. Without them, the taste of the flowers is better.