Edible flower grower hopes to see a ‘new culinary culture’ bloom in Tunisia after finding an unexpected market at home for her produce
- Sonia Ibidhi, a 42-year-old journalist, resigned and sold her car to grow edible flowers in Tunisia, intending most for export
- She was surprised to find growing demand in her country for her borage, chive flowers, and nasturtiums from high-end hotels in the country
A Tunisian entrepreneur growing edible flowers says she is surprised by the appetite for her produce in the North African country – she had expected to export most of it – and hopes to see a “new culinary culture” bloom there.
Sonia Ibidhi, a 42-year-old journalist, turned to organic farming of the niche but in-demand product “out of love” for working on the land.
Among the flowers she grows are borage, a blue star-shaped flower that tastes like cucumber, chive flowers – purple blossoms with a flavour similar to onion – and nasturtiums, bright yellow to orange flowers with a radish-like taste.
“I thought the flowers would be for export and of no immediate interest to the local market, but I’ve been surprised by the growing demand, in particular from some top-end hotels,” she says.
After bringing back 42 seed varieties from France, Ibidhi began planting around a dozen types of flowers. She now uses her own seeds.
She chose the mountainous Tabarka region in the country’s northwest for its humid climate and abundant fresh water. “I do something that I love, that is beautiful and colourful,” she says. She hopes her flowers spark “a new culinary culture in the country”.