Do you know how many species of acacia exist in the world? 1,300 … In Italy the most common (after the mimosa) is the Robinia pseudoacacia. In this period it is in bloom everywhere, if you travel around Italy you can see these trees turned into white clouds by clouds of creamy-white flowers that fill the air with their delicious perfume

All we are familiar with acacia honey, but there are other ways to ‘exploit’ the beautiful flowers of the plant. I’m still finishing the delicious jam that I made mixing them with those of violet wisteria, and yesterday at lunch I tried to fry the bunches of flowers as it is used in the Venetian countryside.

The flowers give to the pancake a sweet aroma and a taste particularly delicious, and since I was experimenting I also tried with a variant of brine, using the recipe for the batter that I used here (it recorded a tremendous success).

I preferred the sweet version, but both are good for eyes and taste buds! It’s definetly one of those flashy things non-trivial and tasty, which makes a perfect buffet.

Here is the recipe of pancakes with sweet acacia flowers:

Recipe: Side dish – Appetizer – Snack
Cuisine: Italian

Serving: 4 people

Cooking Time: 20 min + 30 min to rest for the batter

• 12-16 bunches of acacia flowers (Robinia)
• 150 g flour
• 200 ml milk
• a pinch of salt
• 2 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 20 g sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (powder or liquid)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• oil for frying
• powdered sugar
• acacia honey

Remove the leaves, but leave the flowers grouped in bunches. Clean them well (make sure there are no insects) leaving them to soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry gently with paper towels.

In a bowl, beat egg yolks, milk, salt, vanilla and flour, until your batter becomes smooth and thick. Let stand well covered in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In another receptacle, whisk the whites and sugar. Add to the mixture prepared before and mix everything with a wooden spoon.

Heat a pan plenty of oil, dip the bunches into the batter and fry until they are golden brown on both sides. Bring them on a plate covered with paper towels, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve while still warm. Serve them with acacia-blossom honey.

You can add a little drop of liquor for sweets in the batter.

The ideal temperature for frying is 170-180 ° C. One way to check if the oil is warm enough is: dip a toothpick in the oil, when on the toothpick starts to form bubbles means that the oil is ready.

It’s important fry the flowers in a way that the bunches are far apart in the pan, so that they do not stick together.

How to keep your frying warm and crunchy? Preheat oven to 250 °C and then turn it off. Put inside pancakes and let rest until it’s time to serve them.