Uses
Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in Persian and Mesopotamian cuisine—especially in sweets such as nougat, raahat and baklava. For example, rose water is used to give some types of loukoum (or "Turkish Delight") their distinctive flavours. Beside its usage in food, it is also used as a perfume, especially in religious ceremonies (both Muslim and Zoroastrian).
The Cypriot version of mahleb uses rosewater. In Iran, it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities, and in the Arab world and India it is used to flavour milk and dairy-based dishes such as rice pudding. It is also a key ingredient in sweet lassi, a drink made from yogurt, sugar and various fruit juices, and is also used to make jallab. In Malaysia and Singapore, rose water is mixed with milk, sugar and pink food colouring to make a sweet drink called bandung. Rose water is frequently used as a halal substitute for red wine and other alcohols in cooking.
In Western Europe, rose water (as well as orange flower water) is sometimes used to flavour marzipan. Rose water was also used to make Waverly Jumbles. American and European bakers enjoyed the floral flavouring of rose water in their baking until the 19th century when vanilla flavouring became popular.
In the United States, rose syrup is used to make rose scones and marshmallows.
A rose water ointment is occasionally used as an emollient, and rose water is sometimes used in cosmetics such as cold creams. Water used to clean the Kaaba, the Qibla for Muslims located in Mecca, combines Zamzam water with rose water as an additive. Rose water is used in some Hindu rituals as well. Rose water also figures in Christianity, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Rose water was first produced by Muslim chemists in the medieval Islamic world through the distillation of roses, for use in the drinking and perfumery industries.
In parts of the Middle East, rose water is commonly added to lemonade.
In India, rose water is used as eye drops to clear them. Some people in India also use rose water as spray applied directly to the face for natural fragrance and moisturiser, especially during winters. It is also used in Indian sweets and other food preparations (particularly gulab jamun, named from the Persian word for rose water). Rose water is often sprinkled in Indian weddings to welcome guests.
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