Hibiscus flowers usually remind me of tropical places such as Hawaii. They are popular ingredients in herbal tea as it gives off the nice red color. These interesting looking hibiscus flowers are not the typical hibiscus grown as ornamental plants.
They are named roselle or “Hibiscus sabdariffa” and are edible. Roselle are an annual woody shrub that grows to 2–2.5 m tall. This plant is mainly grown in Southeast Asia and Central America.
They may look strange to someone who has never seen them before. The calyx are left over after the petals have fallen off. What you see (pictured above) is these deep red bulb like blooms.
Germany uses it as natural food color and France likes it dipped in syrup. They are also popular made into sauces, syrups, and jams. They even have medicinal values and is also full of Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium and Niacin.
These dried Roselle I found at Trader Joe’s are also dipped in syrup. I have tried dried dragon fruit from Trader Joe’s and love them! So I just had to give these a try too. The texture is like dried fruit rolled up but more bland and chewy. It’s slightly tart and sweet (from the syrup). But I do think they taste better then dried cranberries.
I even found some of them to be sandy. Maybe I just got a bad batch? I also tried to make a tea out of it and it was very disappointing. Very bland. Either way, I really liked the idea of eating them as they seem interesting and new. Maybe I just need to be more creative with them.
This is the best photo I’ve seen of the Roselle growing from the plant itself. Evil Jungle Prince grows these in his California desert garden. He even managed to turn these fresh ones into Roselle frozen yogurt. Looks perfectly yummy!
Updated 10/28/10: I’ve been told these are are not bland, but rather tangy!
So you can eat them fresh off the tree. Probably bland since they are usually dipped into syrup or added to other dishes. If I had more garden space, I would love to get some seeds from Solana Seeds. I don’t know if they will grow in northern California climate. And I am not fond of having to protect them during the winter freeze. But they just look too cool to pass up.
Plant photo to the left corner and interesting information are from Solana Seeds.
Hibiscus variety grown in the tropical regions for its edible flower calyx. Can be used to prepare juice, syrups and other beverages. The steeped dried calyces add a nice red color to drinks and a pleasant fruity-tart flavor reminiscent of cranberries. Click on the link below for more info on the different uses of Roselle. It is important to note that this species is day length sensitive, so it will only start to bloom when the days get short, usually after October. So if you live in Canada or in the northern US, grow it inside if you ever want to get a chance to get it to bloom. Otherwise, grow it outside only for its nice red-veined foliage and stems. Height: 2-3 m. Pale yellow or pink flowers, about 8 to 10 cm wide. Tender perennial. Easy germination. Full sun. Packet of 10 seeds: $2.49
More info:
12:25 am on April 1st, 2009
I remembered this so well, the school in Thailand used to grow them, and right before summer break, we had to harvest them, I was about 8 or 9 years old, and the flowers and leaves are furry and it being hot in Thailand, it was itchy. We ate them off the plant, it’s a bit tart, but tastes good with salt and pepper.
1:11 am on April 1st, 2009
That sounds like a good memorable childhood.
So they taste good just picked from the tree? Tart sounds good, especially with salt and pepper.
11:09 pm on April 1st, 2009
It taste good just picked from the tree because it’s more fresh. What I remembered the most was the lunch break, our teachers cooked for us, huge pot of Thai curry hot soup served with white rice, that was the best.
1:22 am on April 6th, 2009
Thai curry soup, that is my favorite dish!
I saw in a Japanese documentary on education, the kids would serve each other lunch and also clean up. It was so neat to see how they cooperate.
12:11 am on May 5th, 2009
[...] and saw a bag of dried hibiscus flowers. I didn’t realize they were the same as my “Edible Hibiscus Flower” because it looked like regular dried maroon [...]
8:38 am on October 28th, 2010
These are not a part of a hibiscus flower after the petals have fallen off. The photo above is the entire plant. We grow it in the Caribbean and call it ‘Sorrel’. In the Caribbean we make it into a drink. Bright red and delicious!!
8:42 am on October 28th, 2010
Just to add, having seen a comment above, they are not at all bland if you eat the petals. It is really tart tasting - a sour taste that has almost the strength of a citrus fruit.
To make the drink lots of sugar has to be added after boiling the petals and then some add cloves, ginger etc to spice it up. The red drink is a wonderful addition to the Christmas menu. It is in season in November/December in the Caribbean.
10:11 pm on October 28th, 2010
Hi Deborah,
I’ve never had real hibiscus before only the dried ones. But if I was in the Caribbean at this time of year I would be in luck!
I love the dried hibiscus flower and also make it into tea. It becomes bright red and very tangy. I wrote about it here.
As for the petals falling off thus exposing the calyx, I got the info from Purdue University:
“Dried roselle calyces are sold in plastic bags in Mexico, labeled “Flor de Jamaica”, leading many to believe that they are flower petals. Actually, the flower falls before the red calyx enlarges and becomes fit for food use.”
Thanks for sharing your info about this unique flower.
Also more info on hibiscus found at the Edible Plant Project. As you mentioned it’s also called Jamaican Sorrel and Roselle. They have a photo of the hibiscus flower and calyx (plural: calyces).
4:54 am on March 11th, 2011
I’m Sudanese and we dry up this hibiscus and then pour water into a container and put the dried hibiscus in their, then leave it there for about a day. Then we take out the hibiscus and add sugar to the water which is now red because the hibiscus…and enjoy the delicious hibiscus drink. =D
11:24 pm on March 13th, 2011
Hi Israa, Thanks for sharing your recipe. Hibiscus (tea) drink is very easy to make and good for you.