In order to know the meaning of the term edible, it is necessary to discover, first of all, its etymological origin. In this case we can state that it derives from Latin, exactly from the word "comestibilis" which can be translated as "that can be eaten." From this we can indicate that it is the result of the sum of two differentiated components:
-The verb “comedere”, which is synonymous with “eat”.
-The suffix “-ible”, which indicates “that you can”.
The term refers to what can be eaten . All foods in general are also called edible.
For example: “Will these mushrooms be edible?” , “For some cultures, dogs are edible, although to us the idea of cooking a pet is abhorrent” , “The grocery sector is at the end of the hallway” .
At a general level, it can be said that something is edible when its ingestion does not cause damage to the body . A toxic substance is therefore not edible. Regardless, there is a social and cultural issue associated with what is considered edible and what is not.
In the examples mentioned above, the case of dog meat appears. In some regions of China and Korea , the dog is considered edible. For most Latin Americans and Europeans, however, eating dogs is aberrant. Its meat, however, does not cause problems for human health. That is why it can be said that, for people, whether or not they consider a dog edible depends on their culture.
For a substance to be edible, ultimately, several factors are taken into account. As a first point, said substance does not have to be toxic or harmful . On the other hand, it must satisfy nutritional needs (providing energy to the body), social needs (it is part of the culture) and psychological needs (its consumption provides gratification). Certain substances can be nutritious but negative from a social or psychological level.
It is also very common to use the term grocery store. It is used to refer to any commercial establishment in which any citizen can buy all types of drinks and food products.
With the advances in cooking, it has been possible to reach a point where elements that were not edible before are now edible. A good example of this are the flowers. Thus, more and more chefs are turning to them to include them in their dishes and surprise their diners in this way.
Specifically, among the most used edible flowers are violets, those known as nasturtiums, calendula, chive flower, zucchini flower, begonias, the poet's carnation flower or the orange blossom.
Of course, it is important in this sense to be clear that not all flowers are edible, since there are also toxic flowers, so before cooking with them you must be very well informed about them.