A Look At How Edible Flowers And Micro Greens Help Support The Restaurant Industry
The restaurant industry has become a hugely important one in the United States, especially in recent years. Going out to a restaurant is a highly rated leisure activity among many, a way to connect with family and friends alike over a high quality dining experience. In fact, the average number of visits to restaurants considered to be fine dining establishments increased by around three percent in the past year alone, and this upscale slice of the restaurant industry makes up as much as ten percent of total revenue gathered by restaurants around the entirety of the country. With the average American person spending nearly as much as thirty dollars per fine dining experience, there is no doubt as to why.
This means that, in order to keep up with the demand posed on them, fine dining restaurants and establishments must always be innovating and always keeping things as interesting as possible. From exquisite plating to new and exciting flavors, the fine dining industry can often feel that it has quite the weight on its shoulders. Plating is particularly important, though some might not initially think so. But after all, we eat with our eyes first, as the old saying goes, and food that looks unappealing is less likely to be as thoroughly enjoyed, no matter how good it ends up tasting. This means that chefs, cooks, and food presenters have to bring it from the get go, so that food is more than just taste – it’s a whole experience.
The use of true leaf microgreens and edible flowers such as the crystallized viola can be used for such plating purposes. The implementation of such as the crystallized viola can have a tremendous impact on a plate of food, elevating the quality to that that can truly represent fine dining. And the crystallized viola is only just one example of many varieties of edible flowers that are used in fine restaurant establishments for the purposes of fine dining. Aside from the crystallized viola, micro greens have also become immensely popular in the culinary world.
Micro greens, though perhaps at the current height of their popularity, have been in use for around thirty years – and so the use of them is well cultivated and understood and can therefore be done masterfully. The quality of micro greens is hugely important, as is the quality of the crystallized viola or other such edible flower variety, and micro greens are typically rated on a scale of one through five. Five represents the best score, and one is the worst. However, if a set of micro greens score lower than a three, they are to be considered less than restaurant quality, even if they are still safe to eat. Organic micro greens with a score lower than three are officially considered to be unmarketable, so to speak. Micro greens, like the crystallized viola and other types of edible flowers, must also be refrigerated to maintain their freshness and vibrant appearance – though it is important that they do not get too cold. The optimal temperature to store micro greens at tends to range between thirty eight degrees Fahrenheit and forty degrees Fahrenheit. Micro greens and edible flowers should each be given their own, sealed container to be stored in.
Micro greens have a nutritional component that can’t be ignored, it’s true, but their main use is that of a decorative purpose. Fine dining restaurants have long used micro greens and edible flowers such as the crystallized viola (among many other varieties) to elevate their plating. The pop of color and the texture that micro greens and edible flowers provide is an important one, and adds to the texture and the color of the meal. As we eat with our eyes first, this is not a component that should be underestimated in the slightest.
From the edible flower (such as the crystallized viola) to the micro green, the restaurant industry is constantly innovating, particularly in the areas of fine dining. Restaurants constantly need to be keeping things interesting in order to stay relevant and through microgreens and edible flowers they can.
