These rose petals are from a variety of roses called joury in this part of the world; it is from this rose that the petals are distilled to make rose water.
I was pulling up to get some gas one day at a Dallas gas station and on my way to the cashier, noticed a prickly rose bush in a planter. The second I smelled the petals there was no mistake: This was the ward (rose) joury! Turns out the owner was Lebanese and he offered to let me have a cutting; when I asked where he had gotten this rose, his reply was “Home Depot”.
Ward Joury is Damask Rose or Rosa Damascena. It is used in some spice mixes here, such as the kammounieh in the South. It adds such a lovely fragrance to food or can be made into a tea infusion. Some accounts claim that one of the French crusaders brought it back to Europe with him from Syria in the 13th century.
15 Comments
Good to know the English name for this. I’ve been looking for something I can plant to harvest petals and make rose jam. I know there are a variety of roses used in cooking, but I want that ‘special’ perfume from the ‘old country’.
I love these!
Cheers,
Rosa
Awesome
Do you use the old distillation method to collect the oil?
It’s pretty easy if you haven’t tried.
Haha, from Home Depot? It’s true then– Home Depot has everything.
That is so interesting about the rose petals…it’s used occasionally in Asian dishes too. Just yesterday I had a rose bun filled with cream cheese from a Taiwanese bakery!
Belle photo!
I love this stuff. How cool is that to find a rose like that at wallmart. I had a Damask in my old garden. VERY prickly…. but what a smell and great hips!
Haha! Guess you can really find beauty everywhere!
@Mark:Yes the old distillation method is still used by folks here (copper alembic) who also use it for making arak, the national drink!
We used to have Damask Roses in our garden in Cyprus and my mother used to make rose water (I wish I had kept her distiller!!). I always bring back rose water from Cyprus. If I ever have a garden this is surely one of the first plants I would love to have.
This is one spice missing from my rack. Now, I just need to find a Home Depot
Superbe ! Ce n’est pas si fréquent, par ici, les roses qui sentent bon !
Bises
Hélène
Just wanted to add this for those who are interested, Alton Brown also did a similar method on his show a few years back:
http://youtu.be/8Vnv4gTeTv8
@Mark: Thanks so much!!
beautiful. i love this rose- my grandmother used to grow them in her garden; i am obsessed w them- have the perfume, the body wash- everything. x s
So beautiful! I love rose tea and rose water…should look for this