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Flowers and seeds / Pickled in vinegar

Pickled magnolia petals

Magnolia petals pickled in lightly sweetened rice vinegar, from a recipe on Jamie Oliver’s website.

Recipe author: JamieOliver.com

Time
10 minutes prep + 24 hours pickling
Makes
1 × 500 ml jar
Season and ingredients
Spring; use petals from a positively identified edible magnolia species
Method
Quick vinegar pickling
Jump to the instructions ↓Ingredients and their stories ↓Download printable PDF
Pickled magnolia petals · Serving suggestion
Serving suggestion

Storage

Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Instructions

Download printable PDF

Recipe card to download and print

0 / 3 steps completed

  1. Prepare the petals

    Wash the petals, shake off excess water and place in a sterilised 500 ml jar.

  2. Heat the pickling liquid

    Gently heat the rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

  3. Pour over and chill

    Pour the pickling liquid over the petals, screw on the lid and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Tips

Use only petals from a positively identified edible magnolia species grown for food.

The source’s tip: boil the jar, lid and filling utensils for 15 minutes. Use only sterilised utensils until the jar is sealed.

How to serve

Serve with sushi in place of pickled ginger, add to noodle soup, or tear into a green salad.

Ingredients / history / science

Discover the ingredients and their stories

What goes into the jar? Where does the flavour come from? Open a topic and explore its sources.

About the ingredientsFloral looks, spicy flavour

Magnolia petals can have surprising spicy notes: the Very Vegan Val blog compares their flavour to ginger and black pepper, with the crunch of fresh cucumber. Botanically, the showy flower parts are called tepals because petals and sepals are not clearly distinct. Flavour varies by species; the name “magnolia” alone is not enough to choose a plant for eating.

History on a plateFrom garden to kitchen

Kew includes magnolia among plants whose petals can be used in cooking. Its edible flower garden brings appearance and flavour together, and chefs use flowers in dishes such as salads. Pickling magnolia is a separate culinary idea: in the Very Vegan Val recipe, the petals accompany sushi, sandwiches and rice.

A closer lookPetal colour and acidity

Coloured magnolia petals can contain anthocyanins, pigments whose colour depends on acidity. Rice vinegar can therefore change the shade of these petals and their liquid. White petals will not necessarily produce the same effect: the result depends on the species, variety and original flower colour.

Recipe sources

This recipe is based on the sources listed above.

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