A Flower Once Thought Useless Turns Out to Be a Fragrant, Delicious Dish—Now Going Viral
Once dismissed as useless, this flower is actually aromatic and tasty. Dishes made from it have recently flooded social media, sparking widespread curiosity.
In recent weeks, social platforms have been filled with million-view videos showing how to prepare and taste dishes made from ginger flowers. Many viewers say it’s the first time they’ve even heard of this edible flower, prompting them to search for it just to try it themselves.
In one clip that gained nearly 1.5 million views, the creator shared their first experience eating ginger flowers stir-fried with seafood:
“Everyone’s been eating ginger flowers lately, so I tried stir-frying them with squid. Honestly, if no one had mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known ginger plants even flower.”
The creator described ginger flowers as resembling torch ginger, which is red and inedible, while ginger flowers are green and edible.
After visiting a garden to harvest them firsthand, the creator noted that ginger flowers are highly fragrant but require careful preparation to extract the tender inner part. According to many home cooks, they can be stir-fried with beef or seafood.
In fact, ginger flowers are not a new food. In many northern regions, they grow wild in forests and have long been part of the diet of highland communities. Ginger itself is widely cultivated across the country, but not everyone has seen its flowers. Each ginger clump can produce 8–20 flowers, sometimes even more under good conditions.
Ginger flower buds are about the size of a thumb, with stems around 10–15 cm long, deep green in color—often mistaken at first glance for young asparagus shoots. Once the fibrous outer layers are peeled away, the flower releases a mild, lingering ginger aroma. Ginger flowers are seasonal and not available year-round, typically harvested from July to September in the lunar calendar, making them a once-a-year delicacy.
They can be boiled, stir-fried with beef, cooked in soups, or braised with fish. Ginger flowers have a light ginger fragrance, a crisp texture, and a subtle sweetness. Market prices can reach up to 80,000 VND per kilogram, and many people buy them out of curiosity. Some note that the flavor can be pungent and spicy like ginger root, so they’re best used in moderation to enhance aroma.
Beyond cooking, ginger flowers can be dried and brewed into tea, especially beneficial in winter. They are also used as decorative flowers, adding a gentle fragrance that creates a calming, relaxing atmosphere at home.
Nutritionally, ginger flowers are rich in beneficial compounds. They provide abundant dietary fiber to support digestion, have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and help strengthen the immune system. Notably, they contain antioxidants such as vitamin C, which helps protect the body from environmental damage.
