[Sca-cooks] Rose Water vs. Damask Water
Patricia Dunham
chimene at ravensgard.org
Sun May 9 13:04:40 PDT 2010
Well, since Partridge's gives a couple of recipes
for making Damaske water (#59 & 60), but none for
making rose water, I would personally suspect
that he's talking about two different qualities
of rose-water. The plain stuff, that everybody
knew how to make at home, and something more
special (the Damaske).
Or maybe... since many of the things I'm finding
on-line say that rose-water was invented by
Islamic alchemists in period, maybe the generic
"rose water" was the fancy imported stuff, and
"Damaske" water would be a home-made specialty,
using the imported stuff as a base, and adding
more of a specific type of local rose, to get a
stronger or more definite scent.
Over the past 25+ years, we have grown Gallicas,
Damasks, Eglantine, Musk, R foetida and Albas and
they all had individual scents. (Boy, do we need
to update the webpages, 8-)!
FYI, here's #59: To make Damaske water
Take Damaske Roses, and red Roses, of each a
handfull, let them drie foure houres in the
shadow: then take two drams of Laudanum, Nigellae
Romanæ, two penny-worth, Iries halfe an ounce,
Storax two drams, Cloves an ounce, Benjamin,
Calamus aromaticus,, Nutmegs, of each halfe an
ounce, Marjoram, Bazell, of each halfe a
handfull: bruise the spice, and put it in
Malmesey, or the lees thereof, the space of four
dayes: then distill it and scum it fourteen dayes.
chimene
>Greetings! A question was posted to our
>kingdom's cookery list about the difference
>between rose water and damask water. Both are
>called for in Partridge's Treasurie of
>Commodious Conceits, 1591. Since both are
>called for, there must be a difference. Does
>anyone know what it would be?
>
>The beginning of the marchpane recipe says,
>"TAke halfe a .li. of blanched Almons, & of
>white sugre: a quarter of a .lb.: of Rosewater,
>halfe an ounce: & of Damaske water, asmuche.
>Beate the Almons with a little of the same
>water, and grinde them til thei be smal: let
>them on a few coles of fier, til thei wax thick:
>then beate them agayne with the Sugre, fine:
>Then mixt the sweet waters and them together:
>and so gather the, & fashion your Marchpane..."
>
>Thanks for any clues you might give. I couldn't
>find anything on the Internet that gave a hint.
>
>Alys K.
>--
>Elise Fleming
>alysk at ix.netcom.com
>http://home.netcom.com/~alysk/
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