Morocco: the land of million spices: Part 3 - Orange Flower Water

Morocco: the land of million herbs and spices

Orange blossom and Rose water together

  

Part 3

Everything about Moroccan Traditional Flavoring Waters

The Orange Flower Water 

As I was getting to know more and more Moroccan recipes, the more obvious it has become, that indeed the use of flavoring waters is pretty important in as well as in Moroccan as in Arabic cuisine, therefore their importance should be mentioned when we are discussing Moroccan spices and herbs used in cooking.

This time I’d like to introduce you to two elements of Moroccan cuisine: the Orange Flower or Orange Blossom Water and the Rose Blossom or Rose Flower Water. Both of them are used for two key reasons: one is to add an extra to the flavor and the second is to add an extra to the smell of the dishes or cookies.

The use of flavoring waters in Arabic cuisine has a very long history. Traditionally their use generated from the means of preserving drinking water, which is preserved or kept in typical clay jugs (gulla) or other clay holders and therefore, although it kept water fresh and cold for a longer period of time, it also added a specific odor and flavor inherited from the clay. Therefore to serve water in a more attractive way and to take away its smell and specific odor, people used to put a couple of drop of orange blossom or rose blossom water in the drinking water. Then, the use of waters has also become popular in Moroccan / Arabic cuisine and today they are used to add an extra hint of flavor to several food, dishes and spices. Let’s see some more specific details about these two waters along with their qualities.

  

The Orange Flower Water   - Ilma Zhar  

Orange Flower Water is an important ingredient in Moroccan and Arabic cuisine and it’s quite often used, especially for the preparation of sweets but I will be more specific later on. The water itself is produced by the process of distilling orange blossoms, which are crushed before the treatment and water. This will basically produce a liquid with water qualities but having a very nice orange smell and some orange taste too. The story behind the importance of orange flowers is, that they are traditionally flowers meant to be used for wedding ceremonies, therefore the small white flower is sort of a symbol of purity.

Orange flower water is beneficial as the basic aroma that goes in the water is an essential orange oil which is stacked with healthy minerals and vitamins also in this form.

Nowadays Orange Flower water is also becoming popular in the West so you can buy them in a large number of supermarkets or Arab markets all around the world.

What to use it for:

If you check out my previous posts on Traditional Moroccan milkshakes, you will see the use of Orange or Rose Flower water in the milkshakes, the Orange Flower Water is also often used in the syrup of baklava, briouats, chebakia to give an extra freshness to all the sweetness.

Where to get it:

In Morocco or in the Middle East Orange Flower water can usually be found in the gourmet or cooking sections of supermarkets (or hypermarkets: see Marjane and Carrefour as the largest chains of hypermarkets in Morocco) There is also a growing number of online sites for selling orange water but be careful and check for the brands, as with the popularity the number of fake orange waters has also started to grow. Always look for pure orange water. Fakes generally have a very strong and not too nice aroma.

Other uses:

Orange blossom water serves two purposes in Algeria and Morocco. One usage is as a perfume or freshener, usually given to guests to wash their hands upon entering the host house or before drinking tea. It is put in a special silver or metal container, recognizable in the Algerian or Moroccan tea set. However, this old custom is fading away in the present day. The main usage of orange blossom water, however, is in Algerian cuisine and Moroccan cuisine, sometimes to aromatize drinks such as coffee.

Orange Flower Water

Important: Orange Flower Water and Orange Blossom Water is the same thing. 

I hope you liked this piece, I am coming back with thre sequel tomorrow :)

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