HERB - Period Rose Info
aleed
aleed at dnaco.net
Sun Jul 18 14:54:25 PDT 1999
Here it is...I sent it a couple of days ago, but didn't see anything show
up.
PLEASE NOTE:
The below dump of rose info is in draft format. Please disregard any
misspellings, bad grammar, random phrases here and there, notes to myself,
disjointed abbreviations and the like. It's a section of a larger
document on the History & Cultivation of period roses, which will
hopefully soon be put on the web in pretty formatted HTML and color
photos of the roses in question.
That said, I hope you all enjoy!
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Roses in The medieval garden
Medieval gardens:
When people think of a medieval garden, the first thing to come to mind is: walls. Small enclosed places, a fountain perhaps, and shady trees overlooking a carpet of well-trimmed lawn or flowers.
Although this type of garden, called variusly a "pleasaunce garden", "herber", or "hortus conclusus" was the most commonly portrayed by the writers and illuminators of the time, it is hardly the only kind of garden known during the middle ages. Small "pleasure parks", 20-acre areas containing game, grassy swards, and trees for the pleasure of the lord and his lady, as well as larger game parks, maintained "coppice" woods used for firewoods and lumber, orchards and the lowly kitchen vegetable garden were all extant during this period.
Where did the rose fit into the medieval garden?
There is little evidence about the use and placement of roses in medieval gardens. Illumanations and literary works such as the "Roman de la Rose" are pretty much all the modern person has to go on--and such things are inevitably tainted. ___WHY TAINTED___
The rose, it seems, was most commonly seen in what we consider the "typical" medieval garden--the hortus conclusus. Alongside the lily, it was considered one of the most beautiful and noble of flowers, not least because of the religious symbolism that had grown up around it since the beginning of the Christian era, and even before.
The medieval pleasure garden, or herber, consisted of sweet smelling herbs and herbs for medicinal, culinary and household use. Often it was divided into two parts: Once consisting of raised, rectangular beds in which many of the herbs were grown, and the other--separated by a hedge or some type of fence--being a lawn or flowery mead, containing a fountain or water source of some kind, shady trees around the edge, and some sort of bench/exedra, arched trellis, or a trellis covered by vines or some other flowering plant.
(Go into more detail)
Despite the name of this page--"A Medieval Rose Garden"--the only roses which can be absolutely traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in europe are the red rose (rosa gallica officinalis), the white rose (rosa alba) and the damask rose (rosa damacena). In contemporary illuminations, the only two to appear in gardens are the gallica and alba rose.
Today, the rose is primarily a decorative plant; while this was certainly so in the middle ages, it also served other purpuses. It was used for culinary and medicinal purpuses, strewn between folded clothes, and used as a perfume. And in the garden, it was often used as a structural plant.
The red rose, which grows to about 1 metre, was commonly used as a hedge or as a plant to edge open spaces. It was placed in front of wattle fences, and was also, on occasion, trimmed to resemble a small tree or "standard".
The white rose, which will grow to a considerable height, was used for the same purpose--but was also commonly used on trellises and covered walkways. Often the red and white rose are portrayed together in illuminations, and if one takes this for literal rather than as a religious allegory or artistic lisence.
things you can do with a rose to give it a garden a medieval feel--grow a hedge of roses, cover a trellis with them, or allow the taller varieties to climb a wall. Alas, the autumn damask is the only period rose which blooms more than once a year--so you may want to find a repeat blooming climber that resembles a period variety.
(Creating a topiary of a rose bush--instructions)
(Creating a trellis of roses--instructions)
climbing roses--instructions
-watering and pruning and bug advice.
A List of Period Roses
The modern rose is a far different flower from the medieval rose. A fifteenth-century English person wouldn't recognize the long-stemmed roses one sees in the florist shop--most roses seen today are "tea roses" a type of rose which first saw the light of day in the 20th century. There are also bourbon roses, rugosa roses, floribundas, grandifloras, and a host of hybrids which were created in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Only four types of roses existed in Europe before 1600: Species or Wild roses, Gallica Roses, Damask Roses, and Alba Roses. Some of these roses were flat and five-petaled, and some resembled peonies more than anything else.
It's hard to reconstruct a renaissance rose garden; there are relitively few roses that we know for certain existed. Undoubtedly there were many popular popular varieties of roses now lost to us. Most of the gallica and damask varieties in gardens today were created during the 19th century; and though these new roses were created using 'period' species, such as a Gallica and a Damask, they themselves are (sadly) out of period.
Wild Roses
Wild, or Species roses, are without a doubt the oldest roses around. They are usually thornier than domesticated roses, and flower less magnificently; but they are the toughest and hardiest roses to be found and are useful for injecting new life or interesting characteristics into a rose hybrid. If you plan to grow wild roses in your yard or garden, keep in mind that some gardeners consider them on a par with blackberries when it comes to their ineradicable will to survive.
Wild roses exist in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and come in a bewildering array of types and sub-species. The blossom only once a year, as do almost all other old roses. Here are some varieties known to have existed in period in Europe and the Middle East:
Rosa Cinnamomea Plena (Rose du saint Sacrement ,Whitsuntide rose)
prior to 1600
This is an important species of rose, possibly one of the parents of the Gallica rose itself, but is very rarely heard of these days. The plant itself grows to more than 2 yards in height, making it a wonderful climber. The flowers are small, as it is a wild species, but the plant has full blossoms of a lilac-rose color that smells very sweet.
Rosa Eglanteria (Sweet Eglantine, Sweetbriar)
Ancient--native of Britain
Everyone's heard of Sweet Eglantine--but not everyone knows that it's actually a rose. This climbing rose originated in the British Isles, but has by now, thanks to its pretty blossoms and sweet scent, conquered most of the known world. In the story of Sleeping Beauty , whose original name was Briar Rose, it was Eglantine which surrounded the castle with a wall of thorns. Eglantine is a very thorny plant, it's true, but like all species roses it's also tough, resistant to disease, and fast-growing.
Eglantine blossoms are simple and 5-petaled, and vary from white to a delicate pink. The flowers have a very sweet scent, and even the foliage, when crushed, has an apple fragrance. It produces an abundance of bright orange rose hips in autumn, which are very high in vitamin C content and are used to make rose hip jelly.
Rosa Moschata (Musk Rose)
prior to 1540.
The Musk rose is another variety of rose which, though very important in the evolution and history of roses (it's thought to have been one of the parents of the _____ and ______ species), is not often seen in today's gardens. This rose was thought to have originated in the Middle East, and, in a warm climate, can reach over to 10 yards in height. Even in colder climes, this energetic climber can reach up to 3 yards tall.
The Musk rose, as its name suggests, has a pleasant, musky fragrance--not as sweet as most roses.
Rosa Richardii (Sancta Rose, Holy Rose, Rose of the Tombs, Abyssinian Rose)
Ancient--native of Asia Minor
This centuries-old rose, originating in the middle east, has collected a number of tales and historical anectodes--as its many names can attest to. The blossoms are white, and flower once a year.
Spinossima?
Gallica Roses
Gallica roses have existed for over 3,000 years, and once grew wild through Europe and western Asia. They are the oldest of the old garden roses, and the only type of rose whose history can be traced back to a single ancestor--Gallicas evolved from a wild European rose.
The Latin name for these roses was originally Rosa Rubra, which means "red rose". They have pink or red blossoms--no white ones--and exist in several different varieties. Even excluding the ones which were developed after 1600, there are several beautiful blooms to choose from.
Gallicas are beautiful, hardy, and have a powerful and lingering fragrance--which is why they are still around. They were an emblem used by the Persians in the 12th c. BC, and several forms were very popular with the Romans, who helped spread them around Europe.
Gallica roses have relatively flat, small-to-medium sized flowers. The plants grow to around one yard tall, and aren't very thorny. They are easily raised from seed, and are famously hardy--they can survive in temperatures as low as -30 farenheit, and hardly every fall victim to black spot, powdery mildew, rose virus, or other common rose problems.
There are thought to have been thousands of varieties of Rosa Gallica Roses; only a few survived to the 1800s, when Empress Josephine's rose garden, which was composed primarily of gallicas, was responsable for a new boom in gallica seedlings. Although these later hybrids aren't technically period, they are of a period species and created from crosses with other period species; if you see one you really like, you might rationalize having it in your period rose garden. Here's a list of some of the period varieties:
The Apothecary Rose, rosa gallica officinalis
'The Rose of Provins', 'The Red Rose of Lancaster'
Definitely traced back to: roman empire
Possibly the most famous of the old roses, the Apothecary Rose is well-known both in history and legend. This rose, like all Gallicas, has a powerful fragrance; but the Apothecary rose is unusual in that its perfume remains when it's dried. This made it the most popular choice for rosewater, sugar of roses, rose jelly, and all of the multitude of products made from rose petals--which many people bought from an Apothecary during the middle ages and renaissance. Thus the name "the Apothecary Rose". From what evidence we have, it is the rose most often used during the middle ages for culinary, cosmetic and medicinal purposes.
Provins, in southeast France, based an entire industry around this remarkable rose. Beginning in the 12th century and continuing until the 17th, they produced sugar of roses, ointment of roses, honey of roses, dried petals, vinegar of roses, and other items made from the petals of Rosa gallica officianalis. This famous industru resulted in yet another name for this flower: The Rose of Provins.
The Apothecary rose was also the emblem of the house of lancaster. It was called "the Red Rose of Lancaster", though its petals are actually a deep pink-red with a halo of yellow stamens in the center.
Rosa Mundi, R. Gallica Versicolor
'Rosamunde'
traced back to 1541. This is a bud sport of the apothecary rose; the flowers are striped a candy-cane pink and white. Originally called Rosamunde, this rose became known as rosa mundi. It's one of the most romantic stories concerning roses--the Fair Rosamund, daughter of Sir William de Clifford, recognizes as the mistress of Henry II, king of england from 1154 to 1189. As the story goes, henry was not allowed to marry rosamund because of his previous obligation to marry a princess who would allow no competition of any kind; she had Rosamunde quietly killed, just to be on the safe side. The grief-stricken king had her buried hear Godstow Nunnary, in Oxford, and each year had her grave piled high with this distinctive and beautiful species of rose. (look into date differential)
Tuscany probably 'Old Velvet Rose'
traced back to 1596, definitely. a deep, velvety red/maroon, this is a dramatic addition to any rose garden.
Blush Gallica'blush damask'
Another flower of uncertain origins; a hybrid that doesn't fit well into either the Gallica or damask families. It is early flowering, grows to about 2 meters, and flowers profusely. It is deep lilac pink and pale at the edges, and very hardy.
DAMASK
The damask rose is the rose most associated with fragrance. It's origin is lost in the misdst of time, but it was first recorded about 900 b.c. Around the year 50 B.C., a North African variant of the flower called R. damascena semperflorens, which had existed for 5 centuries, was discovered by the Romans. Called the Autumn damask because of its repeat-flowering trait, singular among all old roses. Historians have traced the passatge of this rose family to the western world by way of egypt. Phoenicians, while trading, probably brought this rose to the midl east regions in the centuries before christ. It's also possible that the greeks were responsible, who traded around the main ports of the medditeranean between 800 and 600 bc.
damask first cultivated by the romns.
Virgil mentioned a rose with a 'double spring' which was probably R. damascena bifera. The romans distributed this rose the length and breadth of europe. by the 1500s it had been found and recognized in at least italy and france; religious orders bo doubt treasured this ancient rose and aided in its survifval. Early crusaders could have come in contact with it and brought it home with them. It was known in England in 1520, and in spain in 1551.
The name could refer to damascus, its place of potential origin, or to the beautiful damask silk fabric.
Botanical parentage is open to debate, but it may have come from r. galllica and an everblooming asian species, or from r. gallica and a form of r. canina. The damask is a mixed parantage rose, but contains some of the most beautiful flowers around. All of the family flower once (in temperate climates, at least) save for the species Damascena bifera and 'Rose de Resht'.
Most period extants of the damask rose are pink or white, very full and double flowers, with a divine scent. Damask is the species used to make attar of roses, a greenish/yellow waxy substance of which 1 pound takes 4-5thousand pounds of roses to produce.
Omar Khayyam
This rose, considered a true damask rose despite its mysterious parantage,was taken from the grave of Omar Khayyam in the 1893. and planted on FitzGerald's grave, he who translated Omar's "Rubayat". Although it was only recently brought into public veiw, the rose is undoubtedly quite old. A small plant, stiffly upright, fragrant, medium-sized light pink, very double blooms, extremely prickly, 1 meter tall
Damascena Bifera 'Autumn Damask', 'Quatre Saisons', 'Rose of Peastum', 'Pompeii Rose'.
This rose's origins are lost in antiquity, but it has been determined to come from the middle east, and is thought to be a cross between Rosa Gallica and the musk rose. it's repeat-flowering has guarenteed it a place in rose gardens throughout the ages; until the 18th century, it was the only repeat-flowering rose in existance in the western hemispere.
in roman times it was in great demand to supply the city's insatiable, year-round appetite fro roses. The flowers are a clear pink, richly fragrant, and grow on a bush 1.5 meters tall. It flowers in the spring and again in late autumn. Thought to tolerate pruning better than most other damasks. It has been used in the production of perfume since before the middle ages. Virgil described it as the "twice-blooming rose of Paestum. Greyish foliage. sprawling shrub up to 4 feet.
Sir Thomas Hanmer gives the first mention of the Autumn Damask in England. "'The
Monthly Rose,' a very Damaske in leaves and sent, but it beares two or three moneths
more in the yeare than the ordinary Damaske, and very plentifully, if it stand warme. It is called often Rosa Italica." large, soft, deeply-serrated, pale green leaves; thicker stems heavily clothed with straight
thorns; and tight clusters of double flowers. Suckers freely. Also called the 'Alexandrian Rose'
York & Lancaster R. Damascena Versicolor (dated to 1551)
This rose is often confused with the rosa mundi rose, R. Gallica Versicolor, but they are really very different. Rosa mundi has striped pink-red-white flowers; York and Lancaster has white, pink and white-pink flowers on the same bush which aren't striped.
This is a tall-growing old damask, up to ___ meters. no two flowers are alike. Fragrant and distinctive. Thought to have originated as a sport from the Perfume rose, R. damascena trigintipetala.One of the earliest Damasks to come into flower. best blooms are on new growth. A drastic trimming after flowering is most beneficial; if it
is allowed to run wild, this Damask soon becomes straggly and poor, the tired-looking
wood then providing only inferior flowers. typical tall-growing Damask. Loosely double, blush white and light pink or a combination of both (but never splashed and striped as in 'Rosa Mundi'). Raised prior to 1629
Almost period damasks:
Rose of Kazanlik, 'R. damascena trigintipetala. traced back to the 1689
This rose was part of a huge industry in the Kazanlik district, in bulgaria, known as the Valley of Roses. the undertaking was begun by the 16th c. discovery that a waxy substance found floating on rosewater had an incredibly powerful fragrance--one drop enough for an entire bottle of perfume. This 'Attar of Roses' began to be distilled in 18th c. bulgaria, is still produced in Kazanlik. This rose has an incredible scent. It may not be completely period, but I like it. Flowers are a clear pink, and the plant grows two meters high or more. Flowers deep pink, double (30 petals)5' x 4' (might need support) Middle East, very ancient, parentage unknown.
Isfahan 'Pompon des Princes'
('Rose d'Isfahan') Middle East, pre-1832, Parentage unknown. Flowers for a long season compared with other Damasks.upright bush The flowers appear in
midsummer and continue longer than most of the other roses in the group.A riot of bloom for over two months. Cut back the wood that has
bloomed as soon as the first sign of freah growth appears. Flowers: semi-double, light pink blooms in clusters, fragrant. 4' x 3'
May have Alba in its makeup. It was found growing in the area of Ispahan in Persia - now Iran - in 1832. It probably dates back to ancient times. Upright. Greyish-green shiny foliage. Blooms 2-1/2" in diameter.
ALBA Roses
Alba roses has been traced to before the second c. a.d., It probably first originated in the Caucasus, and spread west through Greece and Rome.
The alba roses are some of my favorites, because they will grow in partial shade and because of the delicate shading and tinting of their blossoms. Despite the name, which means "white", albas appear in pink, white, cream, coral, and blush colors.
Some say that albas are a cross between the damask rose and the dog rose (r. damascena and r. canina), while others say that its parents were the gallica rose and the r. corymbifera.
Albas are extremely hardy, growing under the most inhospitable conditions. Their scent is delightful, and they are very vigorous plants. The romans are credited with distributing this rose through northern europe and the british isles. They were popular during the renaissance, and the subject of many paintings. They flower once a year.
Maiden's Blush
'Cuisse de Nymphe' nymph's thigh, 'Incarnata', 'La Virginale', 'La Séduisante'
prior to the 15th c. Redouté called it Rosa alba regalis.A favorite fose of many people. The flowers are very fragrant, and a warm blush-pink shading to white at the edges. variations of color found--coral to cream to light buff to rose pink. refined perfume. Blue-grey leaves.This rose will grow up to two metres high, and has arching branches.fairly upright to 7 feet and 5 feet across. May ball in wet weather. Will grow in light shade.
Flowers: flat, blush pink fading at the edges to cream-pink,Rosa alba hybrid
fragrant. 6' x 5'.Splendid for an informal hedge. blue-tinted foliage - hardy - blossoms once in the spring. It is fairly easy to root, but blackspot can pose a problem under greenhouse conditions, causing the leaves to drop about the time the roots form.
Alba Maxima a very large rose on a fvery high plant, the talest of the albas, growing to 2.5 meters. also known as the 'jacobite Rose' and the 'Great White Rose'. This rose was often painted by painters in the renaissance, and was the emblem of the Jacobites, the supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The petals are a creamy white.
Alba Semi-Plena, 'The White Rose of York' back to roman times at least. The flowers of this famous family member are pure white and up to 7.5 cm across. Semi double, large golden stamens, 2.5 meters tall, fragrant, many rose hips in autumn.
Belle Amour (date unknown) a chance seedling found in a monestary garden, this beautiful rose will grow up to 2 meters high. The very full, large flowers vary from a clear pink, to a blush, to a coral-peach in color. The fragrance is marvelous.
Uses of Roses
Roses have been used medicinally for thousands of years. in 500 b.c., greeks made an ointment of rose petals for medicinal purposes. The famous greek physician Dioscoridies wrote an herbal that incxluded several uses for both rose petals and rose hips. He said the dog rose was thought to cure rabies--thence the name.
Pliny the elder mentions 30 remedies made from roses. in his natural history. the 2nd c. physician Galen created a mixture of rose oil, wax, fat, and water which is still used today--called cold cream
In the middle ages, rose oil was considered useful in treating eye ailments, and rose conserves (rose petals and honey) was a common treatment for lung and liver problems. Rose vinegar was used for hose bleeds, headaches, and upset stomachs. For a sore throat, crushed rose petals and peppercorns was prescribed. Wounds were treated with rose ointment, as were muscular pains. It was something of a panacea.
The romans used roses in candy, wine, and rose water and puddings. Olive oil was scented with roses. Used for garlands for almost every acasions, and fountains ran with rose water on special occasions. An early rose growing industry was going on in Paestum, south of Pompeii (where the autumn damask was) and the romans knew how to force roses in the winter by using greenhouses and watering with warm water. The egyptions exported roses to rome.
The Edible Rose
Rose hip recipies
Preparing rose hips for eating:
cut off the ends of the rose hip--the end with the sepals, and the end with the shrivelled blossom on it. Cut the rose hip in half and scoop out the seeds. Chill the hips in the fridge until you're ready to use. Avoid copper or aluminium pots and utensils when cooking rose hips (they will react with the ascorbic acid); use wood, steel, glass, plastic.
Condiments
At the risk of sounding like Martha Stewart, Roses make wonderful culinary gifts. People who let fruitcake sit in the basement for 6 months, and who only buy jelly once a year, will still ooh and aah at the beautiful, jewel-toned jams, jellies, syrups, and vinegars made with rose petals and rose hips and be eager to try a taste. Even now, the mystique of the rose lifts it above the more mundane fruits and berrys you usually find in the kitchen.
Rose petal jelly.
makes 4 pints. use dark red flowers for a clear, bright red color
2 quarts rose petals (8 cups)
1 quarts water (4 cups)
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 oz. liquid pectin
food coloring (optional)
boil the rose petals in 1 quart water together for 10 to 20 minutes, or until about half the liquid has boiled off. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on the rose petals to extract as much liquid as possible. Measure 1 1/2 cups of liquid, add sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil (discard leftover liquid). Add lemon juice and pectin, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, add food colouring if desired, and pour into sterilized jars, filling to 1/8 inch from the top. Seal with parrafin, or use vaccum lids.
Rose hip jelly
1 qt. prepared rose hips (4 cups)
6 cups water
5 tart apples, unpeeled and coarsly chopped
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice.
1 tsp cloves
7 c. sugar
6 oz. liquid pectin
bring rose hips, apples, lemon juice, sugar, and cloves to a boil, and boil for 30 minutes. strain through several layers of cheesecloth. measure 3 cups of the juice with sugar, and bring to a full, rolling boil. Add the liquid pectin, stirring constantly. Bring to a second boil, and boil for 1 minute. fill jars to 1/8 inch of the top, wipe tops clean, and cover with paraffinor flat vacuum lids, screwing tops on tightly. Invert for 5 minutes, then turn upringht. After one hour, check to see that seals are intact.
Rose vinegar:
soak one cup of rose petals in 1 pint of white vinegar. Strain after 10 days. (test one in the shade and one in the sun.)
Rose honey:
put one cup of rose petals in one pint of honey. let sit for two weeks.
Rose water syrup
4 c sugar
2 c water
2 c. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. rose water
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
red food coloring (optional)
simmer the sugar, water and corn syrup for 20 minutes. When cool, add the roswe water, lemon juice, and enough food coloring to tint the syrup oink or red if desired. Stir to combine and place ina sterilized bottle. Store in refrigerator.
Rose petal jam
1/2 lb fresh red rose petals
1/2 teaspoon citric acid
1/4 kg sugar
4 cups water
Juice of half a lemon
Cut off the white ends of the rose petals. Rub half the petals with the citric acid.
Put the other half of the rose petals in a pan with 4 cups of water, bring to the boil and cook for about half an hour. Strain and add the
sugar.
Bring to the boil again, and add the lemon juice and the rose petals rubbed with citric acid. Simmer over a low flame until the jam begins to
thicken.
Transfer to a clean, dry jar, close tightly, and store in a dry, dark, cool place.
A rose so sweet
Ever wished you could translate a rose's sweet smell into something to eat? Well, you can! People have been using roses in sweets for thousands of years. Here are some period--and modern--delicacies you can create yourself
Candied rose petals
24 rose petals (trim the bottom white part off)
2 egg whites, beaten until white and slightly foamy
1 c. superfine sugar
1 small paintbrush
Brush both sides of the petals with a thin coating of the beaten egg white. Sprinkle both sides lightly with superfine sugar (note: it must be superfine; granulated just doesn't do it, and confectioner's clumps up), and place on a tray covered with additional sugar. Sift more sugar over the top to cover any bare places on the rose petals. Let the petals sit overnight to dry. Keep in a tightly closed can in the refregerator, and use within a few weeks.
An Excellent Cake (Digby)
2 c flour
1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 c. currants
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t mace
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 T sugar
2 T sack (or sherry)
1 t dried yeast dissolved in 3 T water)
1 T rosewater
8 threads saffron
Icing:
1/8 egg white (about 2 t)
1/4 t rosewater
2 T sugar
Mix flour, spices, and sugar. Melt butter, mix up yeast mixture, and crush the saffron in the rosewater to extract the color. When the butter is melted, stir it into the flour mixture, then add sack, yeast mixture, and rosewater-saffron mixture. Stir this until smooth, then stir in currants. Bake at 350deg. in a greased 10" round pan or a 7"x11" rectangular pan for 40 minutes. Remove from pan and spread with a thin layer of icing; We usually cut it up into bar cookies.
Rose Cake
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups flouer
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 c. milk
3 egg whites
1 tbsp. vanilla or 1 tsp orange flavoring
1 tsp. rosewater
1/2 cup coarsly chopped rose petals, with the white bases removed
1/2 cup ground almonds
Frosting: 2 c. whipping cream
1 tbsp. rum/brandy or flavoring
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. sliced, roasted almonds (optional)
candied rose petals (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
Cream butter or margarine in bowl until soft.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
Add dry ingredients and milk to butter in thirds, mixing well after each addition. Beat until the batter is well mixed.
Add egg whites, and beat until smooth.
Stir in vanilla/orange flavoring, rosewater, rose petals, and almonds.
Pour batter into two 8 inch round cake pans or one 9 x 13 flat pan that has been greased and lightly floured.
Bake for 25-30 mins or until cake springs back when touched lightly.
Whip the cream with the rum/flavoring and the vanilla until it is almost stiff. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks are formed. Apply one third of the frosting between layers, one third to side, and one third to the top. Decorate with almonds and rose petals (if desired).
Rose Pudding
Rosee. Take thyk milke; sethe it. Cast therto sugur, a gode porcioun; pynes, dates ymynced, canel, & powdour gynger; and seeth it, and alye it with flours of white rosis, and flour of rys. Cole it; salt it & messe it forth. If thou wilt in stede of almounde mylke, take swete crem of kyne.
Petals of one full-blown but unshrivelled white rose (damask or alba, preferably)
4 TBSP. of rice flour
1 1/4 C. Milk
2 oz. caster sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ginger
2 1/2 cups single cream
pinch of salt
10 dessert dates, stoned and finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped pine nut kernels
Take the petals of the rose, and remove the bottom end where it attatches. blanch the petals in boiling water for 2 minutes, and press between several paper towls and put a heavy weight on top to squeeze them dry.
Put the rice flour in a saucepan, and blend into it enough of the milk to make a smooth cream. Stir in the remaining milk. Place the pan over low heat, and stir until the mixture starts to thicken. Turn it into a bowl, add sugar, spices and rose petals, and mix on hight until fully blended. (You can use a blender for a smoother puree). Then add and blend in the cream and salt.
Turn mixture into a heavy saucepan, and stir over very low heat, below the boil, until it is the consistency of softly whipped cream. Stir in most of the chopped dates and pine nut kernels, and stir for 2 minutes more. Turn into a bowl and cool. Stir occasionally while cooling to prevent a skin forming. Chill. Before serving, decorate with remaining dats and nuts, & rose petals if yoiu wish.
Warm rose recipies
for those cold nights.
Rose petal tea
1/2 c. tightly packed rose petals
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 orange, peeled and coarsly chopped
1 quart water
1 tsp rosewater (optional)
place rose petals and sugar into a pitcher. Combine the nutmeg, sugar and chopped orange in a tea ball or small cheesecloth bag, and also add to the pitcher., nutmeg, sugar and chopped orange into a pitcher. Pour boiling water over the contents of the pitcher and let it stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Perfect to relax you before bed, or to revive you in the middle of a grey winter.
rose hip soup
5 c. prepared rose hips
7 c water
1/8 tsp.salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cinammon sticks
2 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. slivered almonds (roasted gold in the oven)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind.
Combine rose hips, water, salt, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes and strain through a fine sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch, almonds, lemon juice, and ginger, and bring to a boil. Reduc3e heat and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Top each serving with 1/2 tbsp. sour cream and 1/4 teas. grated lemon rind. Serve warm or chilled.4 servings. Yes, roses can be a main dish at the dinner table!
prince bisket
these will last for a geologic eon, and still be good. You can take them camping, or keep them in a jar at home for something to nibble on. Very easy to make, too.
4 C flour
2 C sugar
5 eggs
4 t caraway seeds
2 t rose water
Beat all ingredients together one whole hour (or do a fourth of a recipe at a time in a food
processor, processing it for several minutes or until the blades stall). Spoon out onto a greased cookie sheet as 3" biscuits and bake about 20 minutes at 325deg. .
rose fritters
3 slices white bread
1/4 t rosewater
2 eggs
1 T sugar
about 4 T butter or lard (used lard)
1/8 t more rosewater
4 threads saffron
2 T more sugar
Beat eggs. Beat in sugar and rosewater. Tear bread into bite-sized pieces, mix into egg mixture and let soak. Mix remaining sugar, rosewater, and saffron in small container and set aside. Melt lard in frying pan; when hot enough (test with small piece of bread stuff) put chunks of bread stuff into lard and fry until just browned on both sides. Drain briefly on paper towels, put into dish and sprinkle with sugar mixture.
The Rose of Abysinnia
Looking for an exotic desert? The medieval persians used roses lavishly in their cooking, both the petals and especially rose water. Below are three desserts unlike anything you've tasted before.
Barad
1/2 c white flour
1/2 c water
1/2 t dried yeast + 2 t water
about 1 1/4 c sesame oil
1/2 c honey
1 T rose water
Make the flour and water into a smooth batter. Mix yeast and water, wait about 10 minutes, then add to the flour-water mixture. Let stand 2-3 hours. Heat 1 c of the sesame oil to about 300deg. in a large frying pan. Pour the batter through a ladle or skimmer with small holes in it, so as to form small balls in the hot oil. Cook to a pale brown (1-3 minutes), take out, drain on paper towel. Add more sesame oil when it gets low.
Mix rose water and honey, cook to 250deg. . Pay close attention-you want it almost but not quite boiling over. As it cools, whip it; it eventually takes a sort of whipped butter consistency, with a light color. Mix it with the fried dough, press down on an oiled plate, press down from above with another plate or a spatula. Chill before serving.
Sukkariyya (Rose-nut candy)
A Sugar Dish from the Dictation of Abu 'Ali al-Bagdadi
2 c sugar
5 T rosewater
5 oz almonds
more sugar
Take slivered or sliced almonds, stir them in a hot frying pan without oil for
about 3-5 minutes. Use a spatula, and stir continuously to avoid browning or
burning. Crush in a mortar and pestle, producing something between ground and
chopped. Cook sugar and rosewater mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly,
until it gets sticky but does not form a ball (~6 minutes?). Dump in nuts, stir,
turn out on a pan and sprinkle sugar on top.
Makshufa
3/4 c sugar
1 c+ almonds
1/2 c+ honey
3/4 c sesame oil
10 threads saffron ground into
3 T rose-water
Grind the almonds coarsely in a food processor, then add the sugar and grind briefly together to mix (I assume the original is using a block of sugar, which is why it has to be ground). Add the saffron and rose water and run the food processor long enough to mix it in smoothly. Heat the oil to about 350deg. over a medium heat, add the honey and cook about 3 minutes on low. Foam (not very thick-like the bubbles of bubble bath, or a little thinner) will cover the top. Add the almondsand sugar. At this point it may foam up and boil over, so be careful, use a reasonably large pot, and be ready to remove it from the heat temporarily if necessary. Cook on medium to medium high, with a candy thermometer in the pot; be careful to keep the thermometer from touching the bottom.
At a temperature of about 230deg. the mixture becomes smooth. After cooking about 10 minutes (from the time the sugar went in) it reaches about 270deg. . If you stop at that point, your Makshufa will be light colored and chewy. Another 6 minutes or so gets the syrup up to about 290deg. , giving a darker candy, crunchier, with a slightly caramelized taste.
Remove from heat, spoon onto a buttered cooky sheet (to make lots of little candies) or else pour it on (to make a sheet of candy like peanut brittle) and let cool. Chill, remove
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