{"product_id":"rose-water","title":"Damask Rose Water","description":"\u003cp\u003eGolab — Persian rose water, distilled from the Damask rose. It is one of the oldest flavourings in continuous use anywhere, and Iran remains by far the largest producer: around 22,000 tonnes a year, with some 15,000 hectares given over to \u003cem\u003eRosa damascena\u003c\/em\u003e for this purpose alone. Kashan has been distilling and exporting it since the sixteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the Gol Behesht bottling, produced in Iran for the kitchen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow golab is made\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFresh Damask rose petals are picked at dawn during the short bloom in late spring — the \u003cem\u003egolabgiri\u003c\/em\u003e season, roughly mid-May to mid-June — and distilled with water. The essential oil separates out and what remains is the fragrant aqueous distillate. Nothing is extracted with solvent and nothing is compounded from an essence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is also a concentrated grade, \u003cem\u003edo-atisheh\u003c\/em\u003e — literally twice-fired — where the distillate is put back through the still in place of the water, so the second run distils rose water through roses rather than water through roses. It takes around a kilo and a half of flowers per litre and is markedly stronger. If you are used to standard golab, use roughly half as much.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to tell real rose water from the alternative\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost of what is sold as rose water in general grocery is synthetic rose essence diluted in water. It is not dangerous, but it is not this, and the difference is easy to check.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTaste it.\u003c\/strong\u003e Genuine golab is full-flavoured and faintly bitter on the finish. That bitterness is the single most reliable marker of the real thing. Synthetic rose is sweet or purely perfumed, with nothing behind it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLook at it.\u003c\/strong\u003e Clear, with no sediment and no cloudiness.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmell it.\u003c\/strong\u003e It should read as a flower, not as perfume, and there should be no sour edge — a sour note means it has turned.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to use\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePersian desserts.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eSholeh zard\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003efaloodeh\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebastani sonnati\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eranginak\u003c\/em\u003e and halva. With saffron and pistachio it is the flavour base of most of the repertoire.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMiddle Eastern pastry.\u003c\/strong\u003e Into the syrup for baklava, knafeh and maamoul, and through muhallebi and Turkish delight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWestern pastry.\u003c\/strong\u003e Panna cotta, macaron buttercream, whipped cream, crème pâtissière, sponge soaks and glacé icing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrinks.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rose lemonade, iced tea, \u003cem\u003esharbat\u003c\/em\u003e, lassi and cocktails.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSavoury.\u003c\/strong\u003e A few drops into rice, tagines and lamb, where it does what a bay leaf does — you notice its absence more than its presence.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhich size?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRose water is used by the teaspoon, so a bottle goes further than its size suggests. Buy for how fast you will get through it rather than for the unit price — the aromatics are volatile, and a large bottle opened and closed over two years will not taste at the end as it did at the start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e300 ml.\u003c\/strong\u003e For a home kitchen using rose occasionally — a few desserts, the odd batch of syrup. Enough for dozens of uses.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e700 ml.\u003c\/strong\u003e The standard Iranian household bottle, and the right size if rose water is a fixture rather than an experiment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1 litre.\u003c\/strong\u003e For cafés, restaurants and anyone making \u003cem\u003esharbat\u003c\/em\u003e, lemonade or dessert in volume, where a bottle is emptied in months rather than years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUsing it well\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRose water is the ingredient people most often ruin by generosity. Past a certain point it stops tasting floral and starts tasting like soap, and there is no rescuing a batch once it has crossed that line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart with a teaspoon for a domestic batch and build up by the half teaspoon. Add it late — off the heat where you can — because the aromatics that make it worth using are volatile and boil away. In anything cold or barely warm, it is at its best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePairs with\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePistachio and saffron above all; the three together are the foundation of Persian sweets. Also cardamom, honey, almond, raspberry, lychee, citrus and white chocolate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gol Behesht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Golab — distilled rose water\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical source:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eRosa damascena\u003c\/em\u003e, the Damask or Mohammadi rose\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Iran\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrade:\u003c\/strong\u003e Food grade, culinary\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in:\u003c\/strong\u003e 300 ml, 700 ml and 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStorage\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCool, dark and tightly closed. Light and heat degrade the aroma faster than anything else, so a cupboard beats a windowsill and glass beats plastic for anything you intend to keep. Once opened, keep the cap on between uses — the compounds you are paying for are volatile, and an open bottle loses them to the air. Refrigeration is not required but does extend the aroma.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this the same as the rose water sold for skincare?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. This is a food product, made and packed as a culinary ingredient. Cosmetic rose water is a different product with different formulation and testing behind it, and we do not sell this one for use on skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is there a slight bitterness?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause it is real. Genuine golab carries a faint bitterness on the finish, and it is the clearest way to tell it from synthetic rose essence in water, which tastes sweet or simply of perfume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow much should I use?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLess than you think. A teaspoon into a domestic batch, then build. Rose becomes soapy very quickly and there is no way back from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the difference between rose water and rose essence?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRose water is a distillate of the actual flower. Rose essence is a compounded flavouring, usually synthetic, diluted in water or alcohol. They behave differently and taste different, and essence is generally much stronger and much flatter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRose water or dried rose petals?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDifferent jobs. Rose water carries flavour through a liquid or a batter. Dried petals sit on top and give colour and texture. Our Dried Damask Rose Petals come from Tabriz and do the second job.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Délice Pistachios","offers":[{"title":"Large (1000 mL)","offer_id":45540048142630,"sku":"RW1001DL","price":29.9,"currency_code":"MYR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium (700 mL)","offer_id":45540048175398,"sku":"RW1002DL","price":24.9,"currency_code":"MYR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Small (300 mL)","offer_id":45540048208166,"sku":"RW1003DL","price":18.9,"currency_code":"MYR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0782\/7442\/9222\/files\/rose_water_bottle.jpg?v=1788989873","url":"https:\/\/delicepistachios.com\/products\/rose-water","provider":"Délice Pistachios","version":"1.0","type":"link"}