Magnolias
With a flavor that can be likened to a floral ginger, magnolias, a familiar sight in gardens in the Pacific Northwest, are an exciting ingredient making its way onto menus today.
There are a number of magnolia species with culinary value, however, flavor varies. It can be hard to know off-hand what a flower will taste like, but fortunately there are no known issues with toxicity in the Magnolia genus, so I usually eat a small piece of the flower to see what it tastes like. That said, taste the flowers at your own risk and exercise caution as with any foraged food.
I’d only seen references to eating the pickled flowers of the Southern magnolia on British websites before around 2019-2020, when more information about magnolia flowers seems to have spread across the internet. It turns out that magnolias do actually have a long history of culinary use in Asia (specifically in China, Korea, and Japan). Now I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them featured on several menus around Portland and even enjoyed them in a mixed drink.
Species
Magnolias
Yuliana species
Saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana)
Lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)
Yulan magnolia (Magnolia denudata)
Kobus magnolia (Magnolia kobus)
Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
Magnolia species
Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
Japanese bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia obovata)
Houpu magnolia (Magnolia officinalis)
Magnolia species
There are numerous species of magnolias and even more hybrids of the various species.
Because they can be difficult to distinguish from each other, and there are so many named varieties, I’m only going to cover the most commonly planted species and hybrids.
The Magnolia genus contains three subgenera, of which two are of interest to us: subgenus Magnolia and subgenus Yulania.
Yulania species
The Yulania subgenus arguably contains the most useful species, a number of deciduous trees from eastern Asia (China, Japan, and Korea). The trees are covered in white, purple, or pink flowers from early to mid-spring. There is also a yellow-flowering species from the eastern United States, the cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata), that has been used to breed yellow-flowering hybrids of the plants listed below.
Magnolia × soulangeana, the hybrid saucer magnolia, is likely the most commonly planted species. A cross between M. denudata and M. liliiflora, it was developed in France in 1820. It quickly spread throughout the horticultural world as has been planted extensively in the Pacific Northwest. This is the variety that I’ve used the most. Its flowers, which come in various shades of white, pink, and purple, often have a less bitter flavor than other species.
The lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) has pink to purple blooms in early spring and is for most purposes very similar to the saucer magnolia. Its use is documented in its native range of Sichuan and Yunnan in China, where the flowers are collected for culinary purposes.
The Yulan magnolia (Magnolia denudata) is from eastern China, and the flowers are also used pickled. For most purposes, the saucer, lily, and Yulan magnolias can be approached similarly and are fairly interchangeable.
The kobus magnolia (Magnolia kobus) and the star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) are highly similar, enough so that there is disagreement on whether they are separate species. These are one the first magnolias to bloom in spring. The flowers are white to light pink and have narrower petals than most magnolias. The dried tepals are traditionally used in tea.
Magnolia species
Two magnolias from this subgenus are commonly planted in the Pacific Northwest. These trees generally bloom in late spring and summer. They have showy, fragrant white flowers.
The well-known evergreen Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is widely planted in the Pacific Northwest. The tree is native to the southeastern United States and has been widely used in horticulture.
Its large flowers were the I first read about using on UK websites. They are much more bitter than those from the Yuliana subgenus and require several rounds of blanching with clean water to remove the bitterness. That bitterness, however, could be considered an attribute if used to make bitters, for example. There are a few commercially available magnolia bitters on the market. Personally, I find the Yuliana magnolias to be superior for most uses but I think the M. grandiflora flowers still have a place in cooking since they’re available in summer.
The leaves are said to be useful in place of bay leaf, but I have yet to try these.
The sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), also from the southeastern United States, is related and very similar to the Southern magnolia, but with smaller leaves and flowers. The flowers and their uses are similar to M. grandiflora. The leaves are likewise said to be useful as a bay leaf, but in my experience I found their flavor to be lacking. Maybe I’m missing something.
The Japanese bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia obovata) is used in its native Japan to wrap and cook food, as well as flavor it. The dried leaves are soaked first, then food is wrapped in them and grilled or baked. The young leaf shoots are picked and cooked as a vegetable.
Not to be confused with the bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla), which is native to the Southeast of the United States. Considering their very high degree of similarity, M. macrophylla may have similar culinary uses, but I have yet to confirm this.
Uncommon in our region, the aromatic bark of the Houpu magnolia (Magnolia officinalis) has long-standing use in Chinese traditional medicine. It remains to be seen if it also has culinary value.
Cooking with magnolias
Magnolias have several parts that can be used, depending on the species. Most of the information about using magnolias is recent, and I believe there’s a lot we don’t know yet about the culinary uses of magnolias. The flowers are the best-documented and the one I have the most familiarity with; I would need to experiment more with the various claims about the other parts before making any definitive statements.
As for the parts: first, the flowers, especially from the species in the Yuliana subgenus. The flowers can be eaten raw in salads or can be pickled, made into syrups and shrubs, or dried and used as spice or tea ingredient.
Second, the leaves, either as a flavoring or a cooking medium. Young leaves of various species are often said to be edible and older leaves are said to be usable ground up as a spice or used like a bay leaf.
Third, the bark from various species is often used in traditional medicine. As it has aromatic qualities, it begs the question of whether or not it has culinary value, or if the flavor is simply too bitter or acrid. There is very little information about the culinary value of magnolia bark at this time.
The seeds are not considered edible, but are also aromatic. Though not known to be poisonous either, they are not considered edible due to their poor palatability. It does, however, appear that the unpleasant flavor comes from the seed itself, and that the aril surrounding it may be flavorful. This information, again, requires further investigating.
