Rose water Middle Eastern Persian South Asian cuisine Turkish delight barfi baklava halva gulab jamun knafeh nougat flavour ordinary tea herbs herbal teas gulkand Indian subcontinent leaves petal roots Persia jam flower petals
Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used in Middle Eastern, Persian, and South Asian cuisine—especially in sweets such as Turkish delight, barfi, baklava, halva, gulab jamun, knafeh, and nougat. Rose petals or flower buds are sometimes used to flavour ordinary tea, or combined with other herbs to make herbal teas. A sweet preserve of rose petals called gulkand is common in the Indian subcontinent. The leaves and washed roots are also sometimes used to make tea.
