HOW AND WHY DO CONSUMERS PAIR EDIBLE FLOWERS WITH DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS?

Introduction: Traditionally, edible flowers (EF) have been consumed as culinary decoration of salads and garnishes. However, EF has been increasingly incorporated into contemporary gastronomy, yet little is known about how consumers integrate them into meal structures. Objective: This study investigated how and why consumers pair four EF with different ingredients when constructing different meals. Methodology: Nasturtium, ipê, rose, and pansy were used as EF models. Consumers (n=106) completed a structured pairing task by combining in a Power Point file the photos of EF with different ingredients to build salad entrée, a main dish, and a dessert. Then, qualitative justifications for their choices were provided. Frequency of citation of each EF and ingredient/drivers were counted and related by χ2 test followed by Fischer’s exact test. Results: Results showed that pairing decisions were significantly structured by meal context. Nasturtium was predominantly associated with main dishes, particularly pasta and pesto sauce, driven by expected taste compatibility and hedonic anticipation. Roses were mainly positioned in dessert constructions, especially chocolate mousse, reflecting sweet-aromatic congruence. Ipê and rose exhibited similar pairing patterns, whereas pansy and nasturtium demonstrated distinct positioning across meals. Across contexts, visual drivers such as color harmony and beauty were highly cited, while taste expectations dominated main dish decisions. For the salad entrée and dessert, there was no statistical relationship to EF. For the main dish, beauty was highly related to nasturtium, and pansy and hedonism was highly related to nasturtium. Other motivations (veganism and aroma) were highly related to pansy. Health-related motivations were present but functioned as secondary justifications rather than primary structuring factors. Conclusion: Overall, food pairing with EF is meal context dependent, and taste expectation, familiarity and aesthetic heuristics are critical aspects to be explored to promote the inclusion of EF into daily into sustainable and consumer-acceptable gastronomic innovations.