Brass ke Phool
That's Hindi for 'Flowers of Brass'. No, we are not desparate enough to eat metal in the mountains. Brass/Buransh is the Pahari/Hindi name of Rhododendron Arborium. Before you draw any further conclusions, No, we do not eat the flowers raw as well, though they are palatable and tasty (I have had them for lunch in a jungle). Most Rhododendron flowers are inflorescences and flower between late February and middle April. Various species grow in the middle Himalayas of Himachal, in elevations ranging between 1800 and 2800 metres. Infact, so many of them that one of them is the State flower of Himachal.
These flowers come in 3-4 broad varieties.
- Red flowers - start from the lowest elevation of 1800 metres and go right upto 2800 metres. This is the palatable variety. The catch however is not all taste good. You pick them at too low altitudes or too high altitudes and they are bitter. Those between 2200 metres and 2600 metres are usually the best. Pick an inflorescence, separate a single flower and suck on the base. If it has sweet nectar, try eating the petal. If the petal is slightly sour, we are good to go. Even if the petal is neutral or slightly bitter with ample nectar at the base, it is passable.
- Red-Pink flowers - predominantly red with some dark shades of pink. Normally above 2400 metres. Not as tasty as the flush red variety but palatable nonetheless.
- Light Pink/Purple flowers - Above 2400 metres. The state flower of Himachal. Quite bitter and slightly poisonous as well. No good for eating.
White flowers - grow above 2800 metres. The tree is much smaller than the tree of the other 3 varieties. Trees normally grow in a large congregation and give the appearance of a large bush runner. They sometimes have light pink shades. Positively poisounous. Good to look at, not so good to eat.
The red ones, the only ones good to eat are traditionally used for making chutney. You pick a few flowers (between 5-10), flush red ones with ample nectar, preferably early in the flowering season (Feb-Mar) when the nectar has not been sucked off. Crush these flowers using a mortar and pestel, add fresh ground mint leaves, salt, anardana or tamarind for imparting a sour taste, dried ground chilli, thin sliced onions. Mix well together and add a little water. Mix well again and leave for sometime. Eat this as an accompaniment with a full meal like rice and dal.
Of late, the same flowers have been used for making jams, juices and jellies. You find them by the dozen in season at McLeodganj near Dharamshala.
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