- Season
- Available all year as a shelf product; especially popular in autumn and for Christmas baking.
- Price
- Medium
- Nutrition per 100 g
- 387 kcal
- 0 g protein
- 0 g fat
- 100 g carbs
Flower Seasoning with Sugar
Spices
Flower Seasoning with Sugar
Koření z květů s cukrem is the Czech name for a sweet sprinkling blend of sugar mixed with dried edible flower petals and baking spices. Czech labels call it "směs květů a koření s cukrem" (blend of flowers and spices with sugar).
In practice
How to store
- On the counter
Keep in the closed original box or a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dry, dark cupboard, away from the stove and kettle steam. Sugar absorbs moisture and clumps, and light fades the petal colours. Use within the best-before date. Spice aroma weakens noticeably within a few months of opening.
- In the fridge
Not recommended. Condensation when the jar is taken in and out makes the sugar clump and can dull the petals.
- In the freezer
Not needed and not recommended for the same moisture reasons. If you must store it long-term, use a fully airtight container and let it reach room temperature before opening.
How to choose
Read the ingredient list. Czech labels list ingredients in descending order by weight and must give the percentage of sugar and of the featured flowers. A blend whose first ingredient is sugar is this product. A "směs květů a koření" without sugar, such as Sonnentor's "Všechno nejmilejší" or "Kouzelné květy", is a different and much more concentrated product. Look for petals that are bright and clearly coloured and spice that smells strongly when you open the pack. Faded, greyish petals mean old stock or exposure to light. Check the best-before date. Organic products carry the EU organic logo and a Czech control-body code such as CZ-BIO-002. If allergens matter to you, check the "may contain" statement, because some flower and spice blends from the same producers carry a gluten-traces warning.
What to swap in
Best swap
Make your own: mix fine caster sugar (krupice) with a little ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground clove and vanilla sugar, then add crumbled dried edible petals such as calendula, cornflower or culinary rose.
In a pinch
Cinnamon sugar (skořicový cukr) or vanilla sugar (vanilkový cukr) gives the sweetness and warmth, but not the floral note or colour.
Preparation
No preparation is needed. Sprinkle it straight from the box. Clumps can be broken up with a fork or rubbed between your fingers. For a fine dusting on cakes, sift it through a tea strainer; larger petal pieces will stay behind and can be scattered by hand. For colour, add it at the end. The petals keep their colour best on cold or warm foods such as whipped cream, tvaroh desserts, yoghurt, fruit or porridge just before serving. In long baking the sugar melts and the petal colours darken. You can also stir 1–2 teaspoons into a cake batter, crumble (drobenka) or sweet bread dough, mainly for the spice flavour.
Don't toss it
Use the last sugary, broken-petal dust in the bottom of the box. Stir it into hot milk, cocoa or coffee, sprinkle it over buttered toast, or rub it on the rim of a cup. If a pack has lost its aroma, mix it into a crumble or sweet yeast dough, where the sugar is still useful and a little fresh cinnamon can make up for the faded spice.
In the kitchen
Cooking
Mostly used uncooked as a finishing sprinkle on desserts, fruit, porridge (kaše), rice pudding, pancakes, waffles and creamy tvaroh dishes. It can be stirred into hot drinks such as milk, cocoa, coffee or tea, and chai-style versions are made for this. In baking it works as a spiced sugar in crumbles, sweet yeast doughs, bábovka batter or glazes. Expect the spices to come through and the petal colours to fade under high or long heat.
Goes well with
- Tvaroh
- Whipped Cream
- Porridge
- Rice Pudding
- Apples
- Pears
- Plums
- Waffles
- Pancakes
- Bábovka
- Yeast Buns
- Chocolate
- Hot Milk
- Cocoa
- Muesli
What it is
Koření z květů s cukrem is the Czech name for a sweet sprinkling blend of sugar mixed with dried edible flower petals and baking spices. Czech labels call it "směs květů a koření s cukrem" (blend of flowers and spices with sugar). It is not saffron and not a saffron substitute. On the Czech market the type is best known from the organic range of Sonnentor, which packs in Čejkovice, South Moravia. Its "Síla květů" (35 g) is 67% beet sugar plus sunflower petals, cornflower, marigold (calendula) and rose petals, with clove, cassia cinnamon, ground vanilla and ginger. The "Chai polibek Orientu" (70 g) version is 84.75% beet sugar with sunflower petals, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cassia, ginger and clove. Sugar is the main ingredient by weight. The petals add colour and a gentle floral note, and the spices supply most of the aroma.
How it tastes
Mostly sweet, with warm notes of cinnamon and clove, rounded off by vanilla and a light ginger heat. The petals taste faintly of hay and flowers rather than strongly perfumed. Rose is the most noticeable of them. Chai-style versions taste mainly of cardamom, allspice and cinnamon. The blue, yellow, orange and pink petal flecks matter as much for looks as for taste.
Common questions
Is koření z květů s cukrem a saffron substitute?
What is it made of?
How do I use it?
Can I make it at home?
Why has my blend gone hard and lumpy?
Is it suitable for people with allergies?
Deep dive
4 min read
Varieties
Floral dessert blends.
Sugar-based mixes in which edible petals are prominent, such as Sonnentor's "Síla květů": sunflower petals, cornflower, marigold and rose with clove, cassia, vanilla and ginger. These are colourful sprinkles for desserts and baking.
Chai-style blends.
Mostly sugar, with a small share of petals (4% sunflower petals in Sonnentor's "Chai polibek Orientu") and warm chai-style spices: cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, ginger and clove. These are made mainly for hot milk, tea, coffee and cocoa.
Related but different: flower and spice blends without sugar.
Products such as Sonnentor's "Všechno nejmilejší" (rose petals, pink pepper, freeze-dried fruit, coriander, vanilla) or "Kouzelné květy" are labelled "směs květů" or "směs květů a koření" without "s cukrem". They are concentrated and partly savoury, and are used in much smaller amounts.
Related but different: homemade flavoured sugars.
Czech home cooks make elderflower sugar (bezový cukr), lavender sugar and citrus sugar by mixing dried, ground flowers or zest into sugar. They are similar in idea but usually contain a single flower and no spices.
Not to be confused with saffron or safflower.
Saffron (šafrán, the stigmas of Crocus sativus) and safflower (světlice barvířská, sometimes sold as "false saffron") are colouring spices. They are not sold as this sweet blend.
History
Flavoured sugars have long been made in Central European home baking. Vanilla sugar, cinnamon sugar and Christmas spiced sugars are standard in Czech kitchens. Ready-made sweet blends that use dried edible petals are a more recent product type in the Czech market. They are associated mainly with organic herb and spice producers, most visibly Sonnentor, which packs and sells its sweet blends from Čejkovice in South Moravia. There is no single documented origin for the generic product.
Science
Sugar is the carrier. It dilutes the strong spice powders so they can be sprinkled freely, and it gives the bulk and sweetness. Sugar absorbs water from humid air, so the blend clumps when it is stored badly.
The petals mainly add colour. Cornflower's blue comes from anthocyanin pigments, which are sensitive to pH, light and heat, and can shift colour on acidic or alkaline foods. The yellow-orange of marigold (calendula) and sunflower petals comes mainly from carotenoids, which fade with light and oxidation. Rose petals add both pink pigment and fragrant volatile compounds.
The aroma comes mainly from volatile compounds in the spices: cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon and cassia, eugenol in clove, vanillin in vanilla and gingerols in ginger. These evaporate and oxidise over time once the pack is open.
Sourcing and ethics
The best-known Czech blends of this type are organic: certified under EU organic rules and inspected by a Czech control body such as CZ-BIO-002. The flowers and beet sugar can be grown in Europe. The tropical spices (cinnamon, cassia, clove, vanilla, cardamom, ginger) are imported, and their supply chains vary in traceability and labour conditions. Some producers emphasise hand packing and compostable packaging. When buying, check the origin statement on the organic logo ("EU/non-EU agriculture").
Food safety: these blends contain cassia cinnamon, which contains coumarin. EU law (Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008) limits coumarin in cinnamon-containing foods, for example to 50 mg/kg in traditional and seasonal bakery wares and 15 mg/kg in other fine bakery wares. This is a reason to use the blend as a sprinkle rather than in large daily amounts, especially for children. Only flowers sold as food should be eaten; ornamental or florist's dried flowers are not food grade. People allergic to plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae), which includes calendula, cornflower and sunflower, should take care. Check "may contain" statements for gluten and other allergens.