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Rose (Rosa damascena Miller)

Synonyms

pharmaceuticalFlores Rosae
AlbanianTrëndafil qeni (Rosa canina)
Amharicፅጌሬዳ, ጽጌሬዳ
Tsigereda
Arabicورد, ورد الاحم
وَرْدَة
Warda, Ward alaham
Aramaicܘܪܕ, ܢܣܛܪܝܢܓ
Wrad, Nastrinag
ArmenianՎարդ
Vart, Vard
Assameseগোলাপ
Golap
AzeriQızılgül
Гызылҝүл
BasqueArrosa
BelarusianРужа, Ружа дамаская
Ruža, Ruža damaskaja
Bengaliগোলাপ
Golap
BretonRoz
BulgarianРоза, Трендафил, Гюл
Roza, Trendafil, Gyul
BurmeseNhin su bin, Hninsi
CatalanRoser
Chinese
(Cantonese)
大馬士革玫瑰 [daaih máh sih gaak mùih gwai], 月季花 [yuht gwai fāa]
Daaih mah sih gaak muih gwai; Yuht gwai faa (Rosa chinensis)
Chinese
(Mandarin)
大馬士革玫瑰 [dà mǎ shì gé méi guī], 月季花 [yuè jì huā]
Damashi ge mei gui; Yue ji hua (Rosa chinensis)
Copticⲃⲉⲣⲧ, ⲟⲩⲉⲣⲧ, ⲟⲩⲣⲧ
Bert, Ouert, Urt
CroatianŠipurak, Ulje ruže; Divlja ruža (Rosa canina)
CzechRůže, Pravá růže bulharská, Růže damascénská,
DanishRose
Dhivehiފިނިފެންމާ
Finifenma
DutchRoos
Dzongkhaསྟག་ཚི་, སྟག་ཚེར་མེ་ཏོག
Tag-tsi, Tag-tse meto
EnglishBussora rose, Damask rose
EsperantoRozo
EstonianRoos, Kibuvits, Damaskuse roos
Farsiگل محمدی, گلسرخ, گل ورد
Gol Mohammadi, Golesorkh, Gol Ward
FinnishRuusu
FrenchRose de Damas
GaroGolap
Georgianვარდი
Vardi
GermanRose
GreekΤριαντάφυλλο δαμασκηνάτο
Triantafillo damaskinato, Triantafyllo damaskinato
Greek (Old)Ῥόδον
Rhodon
Gujaratiગુલાબ
Gulab
Hebrewורד
וֶרֶד
Vered
Hindiगुलाब, गुलाबी रंग
Gulab, Sudburg, Gulabi rang
HungarianHónaposrózsa, Rózsa, Damaszkuszi rózsa
IcelandicRós
IndonesianMawar
IrishRós
ItalianRosa
Japanese浜梨, 浜茄子
はまなす
ハマナス, ダマスクローズ
Damasuku-rozu; Hamanasu (Rosa rugosa)
Kannadaಗುಲಾಬಿ, ರೋಜಾ; ಪನ್ನೀರು
Gulabi, Roja, Tarana; Panniru (rose water)
Kashmiriگلاب
Gulab
KazakhӘтіргүл
Ätirgül
KhasiTiew Kulab
Korean다마스크 로즈, 장미, 로즈
Damaseukeu rojeu, Tamasuku roju, Jangmi, Changmi, Roju
Laoກຸຫຼາບ
Kulap
LatinRosa
LatvianRozes
LithuanianRožės, Damaskinė rožė; Paprastasis erškėtis (Rosa canina)
MacedonianРужа, Трендафил, Ѓул
Ruža, Trendafil, Đul
Malayalamറോസാച്ചെടി, റോസ
Penimirpushpam, Rosacchedi, Rosa
MalteseWard
Manipuri (Meitei-Lon)অদুর গুলাব, গুলাব
ꯑꯗꯨꯔ ꯒꯨꯂꯥꯕ, ꯒꯨꯂꯥꯕ
Gulab, Adur-Gulab
Marathiगुलाब
Gulab
MongolianСарнай
Sarnai
Naga (Angami)Nyiepou
Nepaliगुलफ
Gulaf
NorwegianRose
Oriyaଗୋଲାବ
Bosora golaba, Golaba
PolishBulgarska róża, Damasceńska róża, Róża otto, Turecka róża
PortugueseRosa-chá, Rosa-pálida
Punjabiਗੁਲਾਬ
Gulab, Gulisurkh
RomanianTrandafir, Trandafir bulgăresc, Măcieș damascenMăcieş damascen; Trandafir de dulceațăTrandafir de dulceaţă (Rosa centifolia)
RussianРоза дамасская
Roza damasskaya
SanskritShatadalaa, Vrittapushpa, Shatapattra
SerbianРуже
Ruža
Sinhalaරෝස
Rosa
SlovakRuža šípová (Rosa canina)
SlovenianDamaščanska vrtnica, Stolistna vrtnica (Rosa centifolia)
SpanishRosa
SrananRowsu
SwahiliWaridi
SwedishRos, Damascenerros
Tamilகுலாபு, ரோஜ
Gulabu, Roja
Teluguరోజాపువ్వు, రోజా, సీమవన్నీరుపువ్వు
Gulabi, Rojapuvvu, Roja, Simannirupuvvu
Thaiกุหลาบมอญ, ดอกกุหลาบ
Kulaap-mon, Dok kulap
Tigrinyaጽጌረዳ
Tsegereda
Tuluಗುಲಾಬಿ
Gulabi
TurkishYağı gülü; Şam gülü; İt burnu, Yabanî gül, Kuşburnu, Şillan, Gülburnu, Gülelmasıl (Rosa canina)
TurkmenBägül, Gül
Бәгүл, Гүл
Urduگالب
Gulab
UzbekAtirgul
Атиргул
VietnameseHoa hường, Quế hoa
Hoa huong, Que hoa
WelshRhosyn
Yiddishרױז, קאַזאַנליקישע רױז
Royz, Kazanlikishe royz

Rosa damascena: Damask rose Celsiana
Damask Rose Celsiana
Rosa damascena: Damask rose Quatre Saisons Continue
Damask rose Quatre Saisons Continue
Rosa damascena: Damask Rose Quatre Saisons Continue
Damask Rose Quatre Saisons Continue
Rosa damascena: Rose de Resht (Damask)
Damask rose Rose de Resht
Rosa damascena: Fruits of Damask Rose
Fruits of Damask Rose
Used plant part

Petals. Normally, alcoholic extracts or aqueous distillates (rose water, obtained as a by-product when distilling oil of rose) are used in the kitchen.

Plant family

Rosaceae (rose family), subfamily Rosoidae.

Sensory quality

Flowery, perfume-like, sweet and very pleasant.

Main constituents

The content of essential oil in the petals is poor and far below 1%. Because of the volatility of rose oil, the content is highest on the first morning when the flower opens; therefore, rose flowers used for distillation are picked manually, day by day, before or at sunrise.

Characteristic components of rose oil are acyclic monoterpene alcohols, geraniol (up to 75%), citronellol (20%) and nerol (20%), and long-chain hydro­carbons like nona­decane or hen­eicosane (up to 10%).

An important trace component of rose oil is β-damascenone: Despite its low concentration (0.01%), that C13-nor­isoprenoid has notable influence on the quality of the oil; together with the structurally related compounds β-damascone and β-ionone, it is enzymatically generated from carotenoids. Similarly, in both saffron and pandanus leaves, the dominant aroma molecules derive from enzymatic degradation of carotenoids.

Characteristic of the fresh flower’s odour is 2-phenyl ethanol, which is, though, lost during steam distillation and accumulates in the rose water. Thus, rose oil and rose water do not equal each other exactly.

Even in the best case, only 10 g of the essential oil are distilled from as much as 100 kg fresh rose flowers (0.01%). Re­distillation of the by-product rose water triples the yield, so that ap­proximate­ly 3000 to 5000 kg fresh rose flowers are needed for 1 kg rose oil.

Alternatively, extraction by solvents, typically hexane, can be used to obtain a semisolid, greenish mass (concrete). The yield is about ten times as high as with distillation, and moreover, the natural content of 2-phenyl ethanol is preserved (ca. 60% of total volatiles).

Origin

Several plants of genus Rosa grow wild in from Western Europe to East Asia, with a center of diversity in Central Asia. Due to centuries of breeding, the original botanical relations between wild rose species are far from clear.

Most European rose varieties stem at least in part from Rosa gallica, which grows wild in the Caucasus Mountains. It appears that almost all roses grown in Europe, Western or Central Asia and North Africa, from antiquity to the 18.th century, either belong to Rosa gallica or are gallica-derived varieties. Possible exceptions to that rule are the musk rose (Rosa moschata, India) or the Holy rose of Abessinia (Rosa richardii).

Damask rose is a fertile hybrid of Rosa gallica with either Rosa phoenicia or Rosa moschata, and it is known since antiquity (see also Silphion); it is suspected that the hybrid first arose in Anatolia several millennia ago. Damask rose (or, in any case, roses very similar to today’s Damask rose) were known in Western Asia since the Bronze Age, and its cultivation later spread to Greece and Rome.

Damask rose is the dominant source of rose oil (also known as rose otto), although in the European middle ages, rose oil was obtained from R. gallica flowers. In France and North Africa, rose oil is still obtained from R. centifolia and centifolia–gallica hybrids. The rose mentioned in the Capitulare de villis of Charlemagne is probably dog’s rose, R. canina (see lovage). In China, native rose species (e. g., R. rugosa) have of old been used as source for floral scents in perfumery and for producing rose-flavoured black tea.

For the essen­tial oil busi­ness, highly scented rose varieties (oil roses) are grown in large scale. Main pro­duction countries are France and Bulgaria in Europe, but far more oil is produced in Turkey and Iran, where rose oil and rose water are called for in religious ceremonies. Famous production sites are Shiraz and Meshed (Iran), Isparta (Turkey) and the Kazanluk valley (also spelt Kazanlik [Казанлък]) in Bulgaria.

Many more rose varieties are known, e. g., alba roses, which are probably hybrids of Rosa damascena with the central European wild species Rosa canina. Furthermore, there are hundred-leaved roses (Rosa centifolia), most popular in Provence, which derived from Rosa gallica by hybridization with another type, probably alba. They are named for the large number of petals in their densely stuffed flowers.

Rosa damascena: Damask rose Gloire de Guilan
Damask rose Gloire de Guilan
Rosa spec: Tea hybride rose Climbing Madame Caroline Testout
Tea hybrid Climbing Mme Caroline Testout

All these roses flower only on one-year old branches, which is why they have only a short flowering period followed by development of new branches for next year’s flowers (some Damask roses, though, show a second short bloom in fall). The China rose Rosa chinensis is different in bearing flowers of fresh branches, and can therefore flower and grow all year round. With the genes of Chinese rose available, European breeders created an amazing variety of new roses in the 18.th century. Examples include Bourbon roses, Portland roses, Noisette roses and later developments like Remontant roses and Tea roses with large, solitary flowers. Inclusion of Rosa multiflora into the genetic pool produces many-flowered roses, often referred to as polyantha and floribunda types.

Old garden roses is a term used for all roses bred before the introduction of the first tea rose hybrid (La France) in 1867, and is usually meant to include all varieties bread after 1867 that belong to types known before 1867. All Damask roses are old.

Rosa damascena versicolor: Damask Rose York and Lancaster
Damask Rose York and Lancaster with pink and white flowers
Rosa damascena versicolor: Damask Rose York and Lancaster
Damask Rose York and Lancaster with two-coloured flower

There is a number of dif­ferent Damask rose cultivars, which now become more and more available as interest in old roses in­creases in Western coun­tries. Some of these, mainly from the East, are chiefly valued as sources of essential oil, like the Ispahan rose (named after the Central Iranian city Isfahan [اصفهان]) or the Bulgarian rose (Bulgarska roza [Българска роза]), which is also known as trigintipetala thirty-petaled for its semi-filled flowers. Others, however, serve mainly ornamental purpose; most of these were developed during the 17.th and 18.th centuries by European breeders. Examples include Celsiana, Léda, Duc de Cambridge, Quatre Saisons, Ville de Bruxelles and Gloire de Guilan. A somewhat problematic case is the Rose de Resht, an unusually hardy variety, which is sometimes thought to be a gallica, although it was apparently imported from Iran.

The Damask rose cultivar York and Lancaster is named in reference of the so-called rose war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster (1455–1485). The two houses were represented by emblems showing the White Rose of York (Rosa alba Maxima) and the Red Rose of Lancaster (Rosa gallica Officinalis); as a sign of reconciliation, the victorious House of Tudor chose a new rose with inner white and outer red petals as its heraldic symbol. No breeder has ever succeeded to create a rose of that two-coloured kind, but Rosa damascena versicolor York and Lancaster (a 16.th century achievement) comes close in having reddish–pink and white flowers on the same plant; occasionally, one finds even flowers combining both colours in one.

Rosa damascena versicolor: Damask Rose York and Lancaster
Damask Rose York and Lancaster with two flower colours
Etymology

The name rose can be traced back, via Latin rosa, only to Greek rhodon [ῥόδον] (cf. the name of the common ornamental rhodo­dendron [ῥοδοδένδρον] rose tree), but not further; the plant must have been known in bronze-age Greece as it appears in the Odysseia [Ὀδυσσεῖα] (see poppy on the Homeric epics). We do not know, however, which rose variety inspired the poet to his famous comparison of the goddess of dawn and rose flowers: rhododaktylos Eos [ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠῶς] rosy-fingered Eos.

The source of Greek rhodon is probably a tongue of Western Asia now lost. There are, however, related words that are no Greek loans, but derived from the unknown predecessor language by an independent route: Armenian vart rose [վարդ], Georgian vardi [ვარდი], Arabic al-ward [الورد], Hebrew vered [ורד] and Coptic urt [ⲟⲩⲣⲧ]. From Arabic, the word spread to a number of languages in Islâmic countries of Africa and Asia. Compare also Slovenian vrtnica rose (besides rož) and the female name Warda popular in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Rosa gallica: President de Seze
Gallica rose Président de Sèze
Rosa rugosa: Japanese potato rose
R. rugosa, originally from China and Japan

The Latin name rosa, itself derived from Greek, is essen­tially the source of almost all names of rose in modern Euro­pean tongues, mostly with at most only slight varia­tion: The name rose is not only valid in English, but also in German, Danish and French; other Germanic names are Ice­landic rós, Swedish ros and Dutch roos. The Romance languages Italian, Spanish and Portu­guese have another common name, rosa. In Baltic and Slavonic tongues, the S sound got voiced throughout, and sometimes also palatalized: Latvian rozes, Lithuanian rožės, Czech růže, Polish róża and Russian roza [роза]. Basque has an initial vowel, arrosa. Examples of loans to non-European tongues are Kannada roja [ರೋಜಾ] and Japanese rozu [ローズ].

Yet we find a para­doxical situation also en­countered with some other spice names (parsley, ginger): Al­though the Old Greek name sur­vives in the majority of modern European languages, it has vanished from Modern Greek, which has an unrelated name, trianda­fillo [τριαντάφυλλο]. That name properly refers to the specific thirty-petal cultivar grown for rose oil in South East Europe (Old Greek triakonta [τριάκοντα] thirty and phyllon [φύλλον] leaf), but is now used as generic term for rose. That name has spread to Bulgarian as trendafil [трендафил] (slightly archaic) and to Albanian as trëndafil.

The botanic epitheton damascena refers to Damascus, today capital of Syria, whence the fragrant rose allegedly was brought to Europe during the crusades.

Sanskrit shatapattra [शतपत्त्र] means hundred leaves (referring to filled flowers) and vrittapushpa [वृत्तपुष्प] round flower.

The term attar for rose oil (also spelt otto) goes back to Farsi atar [عطر] perfume derived from Arabic itr [عطر] perfume. Cf. also Kazakh ätirgül [әтіргүл] perfumed rose.

Selected Links

Indian Spices: Rose (indianetzone.com) San Marcos Growers: Rose The Rose FAQ (mc.edu via archive.org) High Country Roses Kinds of Roses B and B Nursery: Rose Classes (via archive.org) Rose Classification Geschichte der Rose (Kim Ai) (via web.archive.org) Aroma from Carotenoids: Rose chemikalienlexikon.de: Phenylethanol Pflanzen des Capitulare de Villis: Hundsrose (biozac.de) Crop and Food Research: Rosa damascena (pdf) (crop.cri.nz) Old Garden Roses and Beyond: Damask Roses Rezept: Machboos al Laham [مجبوس اللحم] – Reis mit Lammfleisch (mitglied.lycos.de) Recipe: Majboos Laham [مجبوس لحم] – Lamb with rice (epicurious.com via archive.org) Recipe: Machboos Dijaj [مجبوس دجاج] – Chicken with Rice (www.netcooks.com) Recipe: Ras Gulla [रस गुल्ला] (dinnercoop.cs.cmo.edu) Recipe: Rasgulla [रस गुल्ला] (tripod.com) Recipe: Ras Malai [रस मलाई] (recipecottage.com) Recipe: Gulab Jamun [गुलाब जामुन] (yumindia.com via archive.org) Recipe: Gulab Jamun [गुलाब जामुन] (recipecottage.com) Recipe: Rose Lassi (indialife.com) Cooking with Kurma: A Bed of Roses (kurma.net)


Rosa damascena: Damask rose flower
Damask rose flower (unknown type)
Rosa damascena trigintipetala: Damask (Kazanlik) rose
Damask rose, Bulgarian trigintipetala type, as grown in Kazanluk valley
Rose is chiefly known as a decorative and fragrant ornamental (although many garden cultivars have but poor fragrance), yet it has culinary importance. Rose products are com­paratively unimportant in Europe, yet rose water is needed for flavouring marzipan (see almond) and is occasionally found in drinks. Furthermore, there is a sweet rose liqueur produced in Bulgaria; and fragrant wine with rose petals was popular in ancient Rome (see also silphion).

Rose and rose oil (Farsi attar [عطر], Turkish gül yağı) are important flavourings in Western and Central Asia, where they are used for countless sweets. So, Turks dissolve some locoum, a very sweet confectionery of rubbery texture with strong rose fragrance, in their coffee (see also cardamom). In Iran, honey and jams are made more fragrant with rose flowers; rose ice cream is known in many Middle Eastern countries (see also vanilla). Lastly, although marzipan is today widely considered a European or even German specialty, it is rooted in Middle-Eastern culinary traditions (see almond).

Rose fragrance plays some rôle in Islâmic cultures from North Africa to West and Central Asia; it often has cultic significance or is, in Arabic countries, used as a room deodorizer, particularly in mosques. Rose is of lesser importance in cooking; yet it appears as one of the innumerable ingredients to Moroccan ras el hanout (see cubeb pepper).

Rosa damascena: Rose de Resht (Damask)
Damask rose Rose de Resht

Rose water (ma al-ward [ماء الورد]) is often used to give a light, floral fragrance to Arabic and Iraqi rice dishes (machboos or majboos [مجبوس]) which much remind to Indian biryani [बिरयानी] (see cardamom). Long-grain rice, meat (mutton, chicken), vegetables and a large number of seasonings (cardamom, onion, saffron, cinnamon, pepper and dried limes) are slowly cooked together until tender. The spice mixture baharat (see paprika) is often used to give machboos a slight piquancy missing from the North Indian counterparts. Rose water is sprinkled over the machboos after it has been finished; it takes a few minutes for the flavour to distribute, in which time the lid must be kept closed.

Northern India is known for its delicious sweets based on milk, many of which may contain a hint of rose water (gulab jal [गुलाब जल]): Fried balls made from condensed milk and flour served with syrup (gulab jamun [गुलाब जामून]), fresh cheese balls cooked in syrup (ras gulla [रस गुल्ला]) or cheese balls cooked in condensed milk (ras malai [रस मलाई]). Rose water may be sprinkled over any of these; other popular choices are saffron (mainly for ras malai) or, especially in tropical India, pandanus water (kewra). See there fore more.

The Indian drink most popular with Western tourists is lassi [लस्सी], which in its simplest case is just a mixture of water, yoghurt and sugar (mithi lassi [मीठी लस्सी] sweet lassi); it is usually drunk cold, preferably iced. A slightly more involved but still common kind of lassi includes some rose water (gulabi lassi [गुलाबी लस्सी]); there is also a sweet lassi with saffron flavour. Less commonly, one finds salty versions of lassi (namkin lassi [नमकीन लस्सी]), which seem to be most popular in Punjab and Gujarat; jeera lassi [जीरा लस्सी] is a salted lassi containing some pre-toasted ground cumin, which I found more refreshing than the sweet varieties.



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