Beginning in May, the entire Tuscan countryside explodes with the scent of flowering acacia trees, their fancy Latin name Robinia pseudoacacia, or in English, Black Locust. I’ll just call them “acacia trees” for now, pseudo or not, like I always have in both Italian and English. I didn’t realize that they originated in North America - imagine that, like me - and have spread all over Italy and Europe because they endure the harsh winters of the north and the sweltering hot summer droughts in the south.
Ah, but springtime! I am so inebriated with this scent that I need to stay outside under the falling petals like an addict for a good sniff of air. The bees are going crazy sucking out the smoothies in every soft bridal white cluster. Our yard is full of the old trees, with their young offspring jutting out from their roots wherever they can find a good spot. I have to snip the shoots before our space becomes a thick acacia forest - the little tykes grow as fast as any weed in the field.
The first springtime living out here in the country, my neighbor Maria (the farmer’s wife) came by, picked a flower off one of the low hanging clusters and delicately ate it. Not only is the scent inebriating, but that’s when I discovered the taste is just as sweet and delicate. Maria is from my mom’s hometown in southern Italy (near Benevento, a total coincidence!), and told me in Tuscany the best way to eat them is fried. You can also put them in salads for a springtime delicacy.
So here’s the recipe for fried acacia flowers the way Maria and my mom would have explained it. It’s what I call the “QB” (“Quanto Basta”) recipes - you have to know what’s “Just Enough” for each step and ingredient:
– You can fry the clusters intact or pick the flowers off the stems. Run them under water to wash them in order to evict and remove any little insects that may be sleeping cozily inside their soft white scented sheets. Dry the flowers or clusters.
– Make a batter beating 1 or 2 eggs (QB, depending on how many people). For fluffier batter, mount the egg whites and add them last.
– Add just a little bit of water (or beer if you like the taste), QB.
– Add QB flour to get it to a thick creamy consistency (not too thick, you know, QB).
– Fold in the eggwhites if you mounted them (optional)
– If using just the flowers, fold them into the batter until they are completely covered. QB on the ratio of batter and flowers so they hold together when dropping them in the oil by the tablespoon. You’ll know your proportions are QB if the flowers hold together in the hot oil. Too little batter and your flowers will start floating around independently from the dumplings and burn quickly. Too much batter and the dumplings will be doughy and you won’t be able to taste the flowers. If using the whole cluster dip them in the batter until all the flowers are covered - for whole clusters the batter should be slightly thinner (just add a little water or QB.
– You’ll know when to turn them over in the oil when the down side turns golden. The timing you’ll judge by the color - when it’s QB time.
– Remove from oil. Place on paper towel to drain .
– There are two ways of eating them: You can sprinkle them with a little salt to enhance the flavor of the flowers, OR you can dribble them with acacia honey and eat them sweet.
In either case, eat them while they’re warm. The sweet smell of acacia flowers will lure your taste buds into a complete springtime experience, inside and out.
WARNING!
Do not eat more then 3 or 4 pieces! Remember this QB quantity also applies when eating!
This I can tell you by experience. The first time I made a whole slew of them for the four of us (my husband and our two little boys at the time) we ate an entire platter full (they were so damn good!). But you need to know when you’ve had QB! Don’t listen to your palette! Stop eating when you’ve had QB!
Here’s what happened to us when the four of us ate too many - I’m talking about 6-7 helpings each. My husband and I slept an amazing 10 hours that weekend (oh yeah, I forgot to say they are also aphrodisiacal). The kids went to bed REALLY early, like late afternoon, and woke up the next morning, so they ate as much as we did but, being smaller, they slept about 15 hours! (You know that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy falls asleep in the poppy field? Well, it was kind of like that).
The next day we drank plenty of water and, believe it or not, we were feeling great, totally relaxed and happy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be warned! Probably 3-4 fried acacia clusters would be enough to enjoy an inebriating springtime moment. Or just sitting under the acacia tree can be just as fulfilling - there’s no QB limit on inhaling that scent that covers all of nature this time of year.
Our trees are barely at their springtime best, here in Aurora, and goodness knows they’re not acacias. But to be so transported by the senses to a platter-ful of fried flowers sounds almost too marvellous. Why haven’t I heard of this before? Thank you for the very thought of it--QB!
Wow ... how wonderful 💗 Our acacia flowers here are only for the bees 🤔