History of the Rose

Roses are millions of years old, with the use of the flowers in cooking dating back to Ancient Roman times. Romans also used these flower petals as confetti at parties, for perfume, and in some medical applications.

Roses with eight petals were thought of as symbols of rebirth during the Renaissance Period. During this time, the rose also became known for war. The War of the Roses occurred when York and Lancaster of England went to war, the battle took on this name because Lancaster was represented by the red rose and York was represented by the white rose.

Roses were a luxury item in the 17th century, with some royals in Europe counting rose petals and rose water as legal tender. Despite this, roses weren't cultivated in Europe until the 18th century. Cultivation methods were introduced to Europe from China, where they had already been cultivating the plants for quite a while. From Europe, they traveled to America with immigrants coming to the new world.

Rose Petal Cultivation

Rose bushes are typically grown in areas with loose, rich soil. They enjoy soil that is moisture retentive and full or organic material with a pH of 6.5-7. Bushes should have direct sunlight for 6 to 8 hours and may grow up to three feet tall. Most bushes have flowers that only bloom once per year. The roses themselves may be susceptible to disease, but the roots are rather hearty and can withstand a lot of water. These plants enjoy being watered frequently. They do not like the cold and they will not survive with extended exposure to colder temperatures. There are usually only two types of roses that are considered edible. One is a lesser quality red rose, the other is a very high quality pink rose that has a lot of flavor and a beautiful fragrance.

Rose petals are picked early in the morning while the rose buds are still partially closed as this helps them keep the maximum flavor.

Our Organic Rose Petals are grown in Egypt.

Cooking with Rose Petals

Rose petals are most popular in Persian Cuisine. Middle Eastern cuisines have been influenced by the Persian inclusion of rose petals in their foods, and so there are a few middle eastern spice blends that have rose petals in them.

Rose petals can be used in brewing tea or in making jam. There is a simple recipe for making rose petal jam with just a few ingredients. You will need 2/3 of a cup, or approximately 2 oz, of dried rose petals, 1 ½ cups of filtered water, 2 cups of sugar (coconut or cane sugar work really well), 3 tablespoons or so of fresh lemon juice, and a single teaspoon of fruit pectin. First, add rose petals and water to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer for about ten minutes. Add 1 and ¾ cups of your sugar of choice and stir so it dissolves. Add the lemon juice- freshly squeezed will give you the best results. You may have noticed the color of the rose petals fading as they cooked, but the lemon juice acts like a magic trick and brings back the vibrant pink of the petals. Simmer for ten minutes. While this is simmering, add the rest of the sugar and pectin to a separate bowl, stir together, and then add to the cooking jam slowly to keep the pectin from clumping. Stir frequently. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. The jam may seem runny or thin, but it will thicken as it cools in the fridge. This can be kept for up to two months in the fridge, but it also freezes well if you are hoping to make a large batch and then freeze it for the coming months.

Rose sugar is a popular way to incorporate rose petals into the diet. Just mix 1 tablespoon of rose petals for every 2 tablespoons of sugar and leave them in a container together for a few weeks. After about two weeks, you can remove the rose petals by using a fine strainer or if you are very patient, by hand. The sugar will taste faintly of rose petals and can be used in baking or even stirred into coffee or hot chocolate for a little bit of floral flavor.

Petals are the most important part of rose water, which is used in many sweet rice dishes in India. They are popular in fish dishes, with couscous, and in stews.

The flavor of these petals is excellent with cardamom, honey, coffee, saffron, cinnamon, cumin, clove, turmeric, and pepper.

In British cooking, these are often found alongside the crisp, clean flavors of raspberries, cucumbers, and apples. They are also found with vanilla cakes, as either decoration or as an ingredient. They are used in the candy Turkish Delight, famously depicted in C.S. Lewis' novels, "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Dried vs Fresh

Rose petals are flavorful either way, and they have the advantage of remaining very fragrant even while dry. They begin to dry out on their own after just about two hours from being plucked, so it is hard to cook with fresh petals unless you have a rose bush nearby. Dried rose petals can be rehydrated in lukewarm water. Leave them in the water for about 20 minutes, or until they have expanded back out into an open petal shape.

What Do Rose Petals Taste Like?

Rose petals are usually used for infusing flavor into dishes, but they taste earthy and floral, with a slight sweetness to them. Some people liken the flavor of rose petals to strawberries.

Substitutions and Conversions

When substituting dried rose petals for fresh, it only takes 1/3 of a cup of dried rose petals to equal a cup of fresh petals in a recipe.

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