Pelargoniums: An Herb Society of America Guide

Culinary Uses

Best known as fragrant and flavorful additions to cakes and jellies, scented pelargoniums 
actually have a variety of culinary uses not limited to the dessert course. The pelargoniums most often used in food are the rose-, lemon-, and peppermint-scented species and cultivars (10). Commonly used lemon-scented culinary species include P. crispum and P. citronellum (14, 34). Rose-scenteds include P. graveolens and members of the P. 'Graveolens' cultivar group. Other species and cultivars with culinary use include the lime-scented P. 'Lime,' the lemon balm-scented P. 'Lemon Balm' (34), and the strawberry-lemon-scented P. 'Lady Scarborough' (86). There are many rose and citrus-scented cultivars with culinary use including those with hints of peach, cinnamon and orange (34). P. 'Rosé'/P. 'Old Fashioned Rose' is a culinary favorite among HSA's Pelargonium aficionados (3, 32, 38, 101). Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay prefer 'Old Fashioned Rose' for recipes because it retains its flavor better than other cultivars when chopped and/or cooked (39).

Leaves of the rose-, lemon- and peppermint-scenteds can be added to iced tea, butter and ice cream (6, 7). Rose and lemon pelargoniums can be layered in flour or sugar to add a subtle and distinctive flavor and aroma to baked goods (7). They can also be candied with egg white and sugar (10) and used to decorate cakes and other desserts. The traditional method for preparing scented geranium cake is to line the bottom of a cake pan with leaves before adding batter, but there are many variations on this idea. See the recipe section for details. Rex Talbert has found that lining the cake pan with leaves can produce a "scorched" taste. To infuse pound cake with rose geranium flavor, Rex bakes the cake, cools it completely, and then places it in a plastic bag with 3-4 cups rose geranium leaves, replacing the leaves daily and storing the cake at room temperature. After 2 days the cake develops a rose-geranium flavor. Rex prefers new leaves for this recipe since the tips of new leaves contain the most essential oil (85). Lemon- and rose-scenteds are most often included in cakes, but P. tomentosum, the peppermint-scented species, can give a minty flavor to chocolate cake (14). A traditional use for the rose-scenteds is to add a leaf to boiling apple jelly for a "subtle" rose flavor (6, 7, 81). Lemon-scenteds like P. citronellum make a lovely lemon liqueur (3, 7) and rose-scenteds can be used to create rose geranium wine (41). Other culinary possibilities include fruit punch, herbal vinegars (10, 14), salads, biscuits, breads (11), cream cheeses (38) and rice dishes (12). In addition to more traditional uses, fresh leaves of the lemon-scented P. crispum compliment soups, sauces, fish and poultry (14). 

P. 'Ginger' (syn. P. 'Torento') has ginger-scented leaves that can be added to cakes, jellies, 
beverages, desserts and sandwiches (34). P. 'Nutmeg,' the nutmeg-scented geranium, can be used in cakes (12) and has even been added to pâté, stuffing, potato salad and coffee (14, 34). P. odoratissium, the apple-scented Pelargonium, is another possible addition to fruit drinks, syrups, sauces and desserts (14). Some of the zonal cultivars can reportedly be used like spinach in cooking and taste similar to asparagus or cabbage (23). P. acetosum leaves are acidic tasting and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked into soups and stews (14, 34). Pelargonium bowkeri is believed to have been used as a salad herb in its native area of Lesotho (43). 

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