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Description
Ancient Romans used rose water to freshen the air in their homes. And it is said that the sails of Cleopatra's cedarwood ship were scented with rose water—"the very winds were lovesick," Shakespeare wrote.

Rose water, it seemed, could sweeten any activity, even one as heavy-handed as construction. In the golden age of the caliphates of Baghdad, mosque builders mixed rose water (along with musk) into the mortar paste, so that the noonday sun would release the scent.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, rose water was a popular remedy for depression. It was fine for bathing in, too, and as a "handwater" for rinsing.

The Persians were probably the first to explore the culinary potential of rose water, infusing mutton fat with it to season their food. They also invented one of the most enduring confections around—marzipan, which is made from ground almonds and sugar and traditionally flavored with rose water.

The earliest written recipes using rose water come from the glory days of the Arab Empire (8th to 11th century A.D.). Picking up a taste for rose water from the Persians, the Arabs used it to make sweet drinks and desserts and for seasoning savory dishes such as makhfiya (a lavish meatball concoction).

With the migration of Islamic culture eastward, rose water became a popular flavoring for Indian desserts such as gulab jamun (fried milk balls in syrup) and the sweet yogurt drink lassi.

Other culinary highlights include lokum, or Turkish delight, a rose water–flavored candy dating back around 500 years to the early days of Turkey's Ottoman Empire.

Description
Ancient Romans used rose water to freshen the air in their homes. And it is said that the sails of Cleopatra's cedarwood ship were scented with rose water—"the very winds were lovesick," Shakespeare wrote.

Rose water, it seemed, could sweeten any activity, even one as heavy-handed as construction. In the golden age of the caliphates of Baghdad, mosque builders mixed rose water (along with musk) into the mortar paste, so that the noonday sun would release the scent.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, rose water was a popular remedy for depression. It was fine for bathing in, too, and as a "handwater" for rinsing.

The Persians were probably the first to explore the culinary potential of rose water, infusing mutton fat with it to season their food. They also invented one of the most enduring confections around—marzipan, which is made from ground almonds and sugar and traditionally flavored with rose water.

The earliest written recipes using rose water come from the glory days of the Arab Empire (8th to 11th century A.D.). Picking up a taste for rose water from the Persians, the Arabs used it to make sweet drinks and desserts and for seasoning savory dishes such as makhfiya (a lavish meatball concoction).

With the migration of Islamic culture eastward, rose water became a popular flavoring for Indian desserts such as gulab jamun (fried milk balls in syrup) and the sweet yogurt drink lassi.

Other culinary highlights include lokum, or Turkish delight, a rose water–flavored candy dating back around 500 years to the early days of Turkey's Ottoman Empire.