Edible flowers grown in Antalya became a popular gift item on Valentine’s Day as they were both aesthetically pleasing and tasty.
14 different varieties of edible flowers grown in a 0.6-hectare greenhouse in Serik district of Antalya were used extensively by the chefs of 5-star hotels in the area.
The marketing manager of the grower Erust Tarim, Burak Akbulut told the press that they are expanding their sales coverage and now started to export their products. Burak Akbulut: “We have received a lot of orders for Valentine’s Day and we were barely able to fulfill them. The demand is high and the product is very unique that’s why a lot of people started to prefer edible flowers as their gift choice on Valentine’s Day. Plum blossom is the most favored variety with its red color and heart shape. The taste of the flower is just like plums as well. Baby carnations also look like a diamond which makes it very useful in the presentation of desserts. White and purple viola flowers are also used extensively in decorating cakes. Latin flowers are used whilst serving fish and they taste like arugula. Another interesting product we have is the electric flower. The electric flower has become quite popular in recent times with its small, yellow and strawberry appear. The customers' mouths will feel crumbling rocks when they are eating a small piece of this flower. A few seconds later they will feel a tingling like an electric shock at their lips and tongue. Then it was followed by a sensation in the throat. Electrical flowers are used in salads, sauces, and soups in addition to being used to garnish cocktails.
We are selling the majority of our products to the domestic market but now we have started to receive orders from Russia and Arab countries as well. Last year, we have sold 20,000 packages abroad and 100,000 packages domestically. This year our target turnover is 150,000 packages.”
Source: Haberler