FOODIES tired of the same old may want to consider flowers. Flowers have been used in cooking for thousands of years around the world.

The practice in China can be traced back to the Warring States Period (476-221 BC) when flowers were seen as a symbol of noble character and as an edible food with medicinal value. Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), a famous poet at that time, wrote verses describing the use of flowers in cooking, including the dew left on magnolia petals and osthmanthus.

In the West, the Romans believed the mustard flower was an aphrodisiac and that the basil flower had healing properties.

Gu Zhong, a medical expert in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) who was famous for his food therapy, recorded 20 recipes that used flowers including osmanthus meatball, chrysanthemum cake and chicken with jasmine flower.

While Western chefs sometimes serve flower petals raw, Chinese generally prefer to dry the flower before adding to a dish.

Du Caiqing, chef de cuisine at Hyatt on the Bund, says raw and dried have different advantages.

"Dishes look better when using fresh, colorful petals," he says. "But the intense fragrance of a dried flower can last more than half a year. Dried flowers also give chefs more flexibility in creating a recipe."

Dried plum blossom is often made into a preserved snack and jam. Dried osmanthus can be made into sweet candy, added to pastries or used in flower wine.

Western cuisine usually opts for fruit flowers such as apple, citrus and squash (considered a vegetable in cooking, it technically is a fruit) blossoms. Flowers from herbs such as basil, rosemary and lavender are also popular.

Sometimes petals and pistils are sprinkled over a green salad. A flower salad in the UK mixes Indian cress, calendula and onion. Another easily made salad popular in Europe is basil flower mixed with red onion and olive oil.

Flowers can also be used in desserts. French pastry chefs love adding orange flower water to soufflés and lavender to cheesecake.

Steven Liu, executive sous chef of Fairmont Peace Hotel, says he has even tasted a wonderful dish of mashed scallops that were steamed in a squash blossom.

Here are six flower dishes that can be found in restaurants in Shanghai.

Before Using Flowers To Cook

Although Chinese and Western chefs use flowers differently, there are some common rules to follow.

1. Make sure the flower can be eaten. Many flowers are edible, but just as many are toxic.

2. Do not buy flowers for cooking from a flower shop. These flowers are often sprayed to make them last longer. If buying a potted plant from a greenhouse, wait several weeks before using the flowers in a recipe. These plants are usually given growth inhibitors so they don't outgrow their pots.

3. Check for bugs on any flowers you buy or get from the garden. Brush the insects away and wash very carefully.

4. Try to serve flowers in season as they will have thicker petals and a richer flavor. Osmanthus is best in September and October.

5. If possible , pick flowers in the early morning when their water content is the highest.

6. Try to cook flowers with light ingredients such as vegetables or shrimp to avoid overpowering them.

7. Dishes with flowers usually go well with a smooth white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from Bordeaux.

Jasmine xunyu (smoked carp fillet)

It's difficult to see the jasmine flower in this dish, but you can certainly taste it. The jasmine adds a sweet floral note to the tender fish with a pleasant aftertaste.

Chef Du Caiqing at Hyatt on the Bund says smoked carp fillet is a traditional Shanghai dish with the fish soaked in a sugar and soybean sauce.

Du's version is different.

"I choose freshly picked jasmine flowers to make a flower tea soup and add it into the sauce to give the fish more flavor and fragrance," he says. "At the same time, the floral note is a natural balance to the fish taste."

Where to order:

Venue: Xindalu Kitchen, Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Rd

Tel: 6393-1234

Pumpkin and yam with osmanthus flower

It's a cold dish best served as an appetizer. White yam and orange pumpkin, cut into strips about 5 centimeters long, are soaked in a syrup mixed with dried osmanthus.

Pumpkin tastes soft, sweet and silky. The yam is crispy and after being soaked in the syrup, has a pleasant sweetness and a long refreshing aftertaste.

Liang Mingquan, chef of Ye Shanghai, says osmanthus is sweet with a strong fragrance. The syrup helps moderate the sweetness while also helping the yam absorb the flower's scent.

Where to order:

Venue: Ye Shanghai, 338 Huangpi Rd S.

Tel: 6311-2323

Tossing chrysanthemum with sauce

Sliced cabbages are topped with chrysanthemum petals, which are a little bitter and add a herbal taste. The sauce balances sweet, sour and spicy to cover the bitterness of the petals and give the cabbage more flavor. However, try the dish without sauce so that the crispy texture and refreshing taste of the ingredients are more pronounced.

Where to order:

Shen Garden, 2053 Kongjiang Rd

Tel: 6501-6086

Sixi kaofu

Sixi, in Chinese, literally means four things bringing happiness. Here, the four things refer to mushroom, gingko, chestnut and lily flower. Kaofu is a type of wheat gluten.

Chef Du says he uses dried lily flowers for this dish since fresh petals are not thick enough to give the necessary floral scent desired during cooking.

Lily flowers taste soft and juicy. Kaofu absorbs the fragrance from the flower nicely and tastes soft and refreshing. The chestnut gives the dish a nice nutty flavor and a crispy texture. He recommends eating the flower last since it cleanses the palate and leaves a long sweet finish.

Where to order:

Venue: Xindalu Kitchen, Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Rd

Tel: 6393-1234

Aweto flower with fish maw

It's a broth featuring a rich flavor. Soft and silky fish maw, a little chewy aweto flower, together with crispy and tender flowering Chinese cabbage give each bite several textures. The herbal taste of aweto flower balances fat from the broth, which is made from chicken and pork bones.

Chef Xu Cailong from Fairmont Peace Hotel recommends smelling the dish first before eating since the scent of the aweto flower, a floral note mixed with a mushroom-like aroma, is quite unique.

Where to order:

Venue: Dragon Phoenix, Fairmont Peace Hotel, 20 Nanjing Rd E.

Tel: 6138-6880

Rose syrup

It's a by-product of the Au Nom de la Rose flower shop in Shanghai. The syrup is extracted from the roses, which are from Kunming, Yunnan Province, according to Merry Qian, general manager of Au Nom de la Rose.

Rose syrup can be used as either a condiment to enhance a salad or as a dip for grilled meat. It's also great in cocktails, giving drinks a nice pink color and pleasant sweet flavor.

Coffee drinkers may want to replace sugar with rose syrup. It adds a lighter sweetness than sugar.

Where to order:

Venue: Au Nom de la Rose, 122 Jianguo Rd W.

Tel: 6415-3686