Why ‘mahua’ flowers deserve a spot in your kitchen

Why 'mahua' flowers deserve a spot in your kitchen Nandita Iyer 4 min read3 Oct 2026, 04: 00 PM IST.

Key points

• For someone who has been writing on food for over 20 years, it is rather tough to come throughout an ingredient that is novel or exciting.
• Purchase that packet of 'mahua' flowers, read the label, ask who collected them, and let's provide our heritage flower its due through everyday dishes.
• This is a Mint Premium article gifted to you.

What happened

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For someone who has been writing on food for over 20 years, it is rather tough to come throughout an ingredient that is novel or exciting. But one ingredient obtained me excited last month is mahua flowers. It's not like I obtained a chance to roam around the forests of Jharkhand or Chhattisgarh. Edible-grade dried mahua flowers are now available in sealed packets, collected straight from the forests. This is one level above farm to plate. It is forest to plate. The beauty of the internet, online marketplaces and brands is that they have brought forest produce to our doorstep.

The bottom line

In short, why 'mahua' flowers deserve a spot in your kitchen is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.