Delicious edible blooms

In nature delicate flowers do not last long, but if carefully conserved in sugar, blossoms and candied violets can be enjoyed all year round, preferably from a piece of Augarten porcelain’s Wiener Blütendekor crockery collection.

Roses, cherry blossoms, forget-me-nots and marigolds are just some of the ingredients used by Michael Diewald at Blühendes Konfekt. For over 10 years the self-taught Viennese has been enthusiastically collecting wild flowers with pretty blooms and turning them into candied pralines. The bonbon selections vary according to season and are available in packs of 6 or 12. Assortments include Send Me Roses, Spicy Flowers, Fleurs de Luxe and Wilde Früchte and contain exotic sounding ingredients such as rue and oregano.

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Confection with floral ornamentation — Blühendes Konfekt – © Günter Grüner

A jar with sugared violets — Candied violets of Demel – © Demel

Blühendes Konfekt – © Günter Grüner

Candied violets of Demel – © Demel

It is hard to believe that Empress Elizabeth would even allow herself to eat candies given her waistline of just 51 centimeters. But still Sisi permitted Mr. Demel of imperial and royal confectioners Demel to make regular personal deliveries of candied violets to the Hofburg. The sugar drenched violet petal candies are still available from the Demel shop to this day. This imperial temptation is well worth a try for the attractive floral-patterned tin alone.

The Wiener Blütendekor crockery set from world famous Augarten porcelain features flowers that never wither. The most popular motifs include Wiener Rose with its green edging. This design has graced hand painted dining, tea, coffee and mocca services since 1924. The other floral designs look equally stylish and elegant on the white porcelain crockery. Flowers such as lady’s slipper, campanula, dogrose, poppy and cyclamen communicate the love of nature that characterised the Biedermeier era, a lesser known design aspect of this particular period.