Flor de Calabaza (Squash Flower)

Or pumpkin flower? Or zucchini flower? The Spanish language does not really specify, and while I had always believed they were pumpkin flowers (because of the orange), my source (Rick Bayless's Authentic Mexican glossary) does indeed say that they are called squash flowers in English.

The flavor is similar to the vegetable from which it comes, and these flowers are found in a variety of Mexican dishes, though I have usually seen them in soups or, most commonly, quesadillas. I have never actually seen them in the United States, but flor de calabaza quesadillas are often the daily special at lots of Mexican restaurants in Queens (so you must be able to get them somewhere).

To use fresh flor de calabaza, there's a bit of prep work involved. You must first clean them of course. Then, remove the woody stems and the center from the flowers (my biology lessons and internet are failing me - stamens? pistils?). If you want to make them into the oh-so-beloved quesadillas, the flores get sliced and fried with onions, chile, tomato and garlic to become the filling.

Mexican culture and cuisine is overwhelmingly carnivorous, so when my uncle-in-law told me that the best thing he had ever eaten was a flor de calabaza quesadilla that he bought on the side of the road in some pueblo in Veracruz, well, that says a lot about the flavor of this little flower.