Most of the time we use flowers in the kitchen for aesthetic reasons, although some, such as jasmine, orange, violet or rose and the queen of them all, saffron, have been used for centuries by its aromatic qualities. The humble sayuguina, the elderflower, cannot compete with these perfume queens. In fact, some people detect notes of ammonia in this tiny white flower, while most find only a delicate floral touch.
But despite its humility, the elder (Sambucus nigra) is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated trees in Europe for its multiple medicinal qualities. So much so that the presence of willows used to indicate the proximity of human settlements in areas such as the Pyrenees. Of course, before there were no on-call pharmacies on hand and the boundaries between food and medicine were much more blurred.
Several parts of the elder were used for therapeutic purposes, including the bark, but only two are edible: flowers and berries. The berries appear in summer and are tiny balls that form clusters. When ripe they take on the same color as blackberry bushes (when they are green they are toxic) and can be used for jams and jellies or to give color and taste to liqueurs or vinegars.
But the flowers are the most prized and most used in syrups and infusions to combat colds, infections or rheumatism, they are eaten battered and fried, mixed in the masses of melindros or jams, and also raw in salads. Interestingly, the current crop is mostly intended for pharmaceutical use, but it is one of the cases where it would be interesting to recover traditions.
Conservation and recipes
Elderflowers, in addition to good aroma and taste, have many medicinal uses. If you want to use them for infusions, let them hang upside down and then store them in an airtight jar. If you are encouraged to cook, here are two recipes:
Flower donuts: Once the flower mud masses have been washed and drained, without removing them from their twigs, they are passed through a sieve that we will mix with 180 grams of wheat flour, 70 grams of corn flour, 16 grams of fresh baking yeast dissolved in 250 milliliters of warm milk, 1 egg, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of honey. Fry in plenty of oil at 180ºC, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. The ‘beignets de fleurs de Sureau’ (elderflower fritters) are a traditional dessert in countries such as Romania, Hungary or Ukraine, and are also prepared in France.
Jam: Wash well and separate from the stems 350 grams of elderflowers. Separately, make a syrup by heating in a large pot 1 kilo of sugar in 1 liter of water and simmer for about 20 minutes. After this time, add the flowers and the juice of half a lemon, and simmer for another half hour. Pour into sterilized jars, cover and boil in the Maria bath for half an hour to preserve it. It has a delicate flavor that goes well with cheesecakes and curds.