Damask Rose 

(Rosa damascena Mill.)

 

The rose’s beauty and sublime scent has been appreciated and loved by many different cultures across the globe, ancient Greeks and Romans believed that it was the sacred flower of the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. There are a lot of legends surrounding the flower and one of them says that the first roses were born with the goddess when she burst out of the sea but that they were white. When her beloved Adonis was wounded while hunting a ferocious boar Aphrodite, in her rush to go by his side, pierced her foot on the thorns of a rose and the blood that fell on its root made the flower red ever after.

Rosa damascena Mill. which is the kind of rose that we offer was grown in Damascus and is known as Damascene Rose or Castilian Rose and was brought to Europe by the crusaders where it was spread and loved throughout the continent due to its excellent aroma and pink color.

 

Cooking

 

We can use rose petals to add its great flavor to various teas and infusions but also as a sweetener instead of sugar or honey, or use it by itself to make a very unique infusion that can be drunk either hot or cold. We can also make liqueurs or disserts or use it in various sauces or stewed meats, vegetables and soups; one should be careful with it though and use a small amount so that our dish doesn’t end up as too sweet.

 

Traditional Properties

 

The rose has been used for its medicinal properties for various ailments since ancient times. Its scent and infusion gives us a sense of wellbeing and calmness while it is also diuretic and an excellent tonic of the mind.