Pantry · Flavorings
Orange blossom water
A drop of white flowers in a pastry, a salad, or a glass of water: perfume you can eat if you stay humble.
The journey
Orange blossom water is what remains when bitter-orange flowers are distilled. Moroccan pastries, Mexican wedding cookies, and Ethiopian coffee ceremonies in the series all borrow that perfume. Fourteen recipes name it.
Rose water is the cousin. They are not the same flower. A heavy hand turns dessert into soap.
In the kitchen
Add a teaspoon to syrup, a salad dressing, or a bowl of strawberries. Smell the bottle first. If it smells like cleaner, it is old or fake.
Coffee, almond paste, and sliced oranges all take a drop. Two drops more and you have a mistake.
Healers and the table
Mediterranean home kitchens used orange-flower water as a calming splash in drinks and sweets. The comfort is the scent and the hospitality.
A drop in pastry is dessert. It is not medical advice.
Traditional uses are part of the story of this spice. They are not medical advice.