[Sca-cooks] Aloeswood substitution

[galefridus at optimum.net]

I've done some preliminary investigations into aloeswood as well -- I could not find an adequate description of the scent, but I found that the major components of aoeswood essential oil are a class of chemicals called sesquiterpenes.  For juniper berries, on the other hand, the major component is a monoterpene.  Thus, it seems that the chemical differences are significant enough to make it unlikely that juniper -- berries or gin -- would be a good substitute.

But I could be wrong -- given the unbelievably high price of aloeswood (it could give saffron a run for the money), it would definitely be worth locating a substitute of some sort.

-- Galefridus

> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:56:52 -0500
> From: Sayyeda al-Kaslaania 
> To: Cooks within the SCA 
> Subject: [Sca-cooks] Aloeswood substitution
> Message-ID: <4D9DB494.4060306 at idlelion.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I've been looking up aloeswood and find that it's a resin from 
> an 
> evergreen. Does anyone have suggestions for substitutions? My 
> initial 
> though is juniper berries or gin.
> 
> Sayyeda al-Kaslaania