In all of my years harvesting plants from the wild I never knew that the orchid is edible. This piece is from an article that I read recently about Bhutanese cuisine:
“Orchids are used as food in different parts of the world and vanilla is a classic example which has been used as a spice and flavouring agent for centuries. The edible parts are leaves, tubers and bulbs. In Bhutan amongst the many available orchids Cymbidium sp. is a delicacy. In local language it is called as ‘olachotho’ and is available in the local market during the months of August to October. The inflorescence or the flowers are the edible part. The psuedobulbs are also eaten like potatoes with salt but are not available in the market as it is not very popular. But in the villages people do consume the bulbs.
Orchid cuisine in Bhutan
Orchids are cultivated on the field bund. The most common method of cooking Cymbidium sp or ‘olachotho’ in Bhutan is with cheese. The flowers (unopened or opened) are separated from the inflorescence and washed with water. The cleaned flowers are bolied in water for 10 minutes till it gets slightly soft. The local cheese is added in required quantities along with salt and chillies and simmered for 5 minutes. The dish is ready and goes very well with local brown rice. Cheese in an important ingredient in the Bhutanese cuisine and they add cheese very liberally! It has a slight bitter taste which is relished by the local population.
As a connoisseur of food, I have tried cooking this orchid in a different way to ward off the bitterness and it tastes good. The method is quite simple. Separate the flowers from the inflorescence clean them and keep in a bowl. In a pan heat 2 table spoons of edible oil, add half teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Chopped onions, chillies garlic and tomatoes are added (to taste) to the oil and cooked till the onions and garlic turn golden brown. To this mixture half teaspoon of turmeric powder is added and mixed well. The orchid flowers are now put into the spicy mixture and cooked for 10-15 minutes. Add salt in required quantities according to the taste. It has to be served hot and goes well with rice or bread. The bitterness disappears in this method and tastes yummy.
There is a lot of folklore about the medicinal properties of orchids. Some believe that it has aphrodisiac properties while others believe that it can be used as an oral contraceptive. There is a need for more scientific research to establish these facts and rediscover the traditional wisdom for the welfare of the humanity.”
For those of us that grow orchids indoors, here is a climate controlled plant that we can eat through the winter months. How many other “house” plants are edible. Someone should write a tome on wild edible house plants. Along with our sprouts, micro-greens, vermicompost, kombucha, wheat grass and mushrooms under the sink we could add orchids for winter fare.