Ingredient of the Week: Rose Water



Flowers, my friends.

It always comes back to flowers.

They're like vegetables, but tastier.



They're like fruits, but prettier.

They are the superior food.

Have you had anything rose flavored before?  If you like how it smells in perfume/lotion, you'll like how it tastes too, I just bet.



Rose water is used primarily in Indian cooking, although I believe some farther eastern cultures use it too.

It's good in sweets, especially the yogurt drink, lassi.

I've put it into shortbread.



Lately my favorite is a very easy milkshake made with rice milk, about a teaspoon of rose water, a scoop of soy ice cream, and a pinch of cardamom.

You should try it.

So rose water.  What do you think?  Have you used it?  What do you think and/or recommend?  I'd love to find a savory use for it, if anyone has any suggestions.

p.s. the keen-eyed observer may notice that these are camellias in my photos, and not, actually, roses.  Fooled you!  Unless you noticed.  But you know.  Roses are out of season.  So let's just use our imaginations, m'kay?

5 comments:

Ana Regalado said...

So how's the weather over there ?! And where did you pick that flowers , btw ?! hahahaha Haven't tried it but seen some recipes from Indian and Middle Eastern cookbook using it . Check out BBC Food , the site has some savory recipe using rose water :)

Gracey said...

I've never tried the rose sutff, but it looks intresting!

LynnieBee said...

Not a culinary application, but I use rose water as a facial toner/makeup remover/I dab it on my pulse points as a refresher, and I use it as a light perfume :) Orange Water can be used in the same way :)

amlamonte said...

hehe anne you are busting my chops! but if you must know yes, i did steal them from a neighbor's camellia bush! but they were already on the ground, so it's okay, right? foraging! innocent foraging!

and lynnie hmmm cool! i always mean to use food for beauty products, but i forget. i love the idea of rose water though, you'd smell nice all day!

Nicole said...

Rose water sounds like a wonderful touch. I would have never thought of it!