Jasmine

‘Jasmine is sweet and has many loves.’

Thomas Hood, Flowers

There is a certain amount of confusion surrounding jasmine. The flower I refer to is the white, star-like, highly scented Jasminum officinale. The larger flower, normally found in southern regions like Andalusia, is the Jasminum grandiflora. Both belong to the Oleaceae family and both are edible. Jasmine has been used in the traditional medicine of many cultures as a calmative and an aphrodisiac, and also as a cure for coughs.

Two other flowers with similar names have no place in the kitchen. Cape Jasmine or Gardenia hasminoidis, a member of the Gardenia family, is not edibte. Yellow or Carolina Jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a poisonous member of the Loganaceae family.