Water distilled with rose petals — the floral note running through a great many Levantine desserts. A small amount is perfume. A little more is soap. The whole skill is in the restraint.
Also known as maward · ma' al-ward · mai ward · rosewater
- Arabicماء الوردma' al-ward
- What it isWater distilled with rose petals
- Looks likeClear and colourless, like water
- How muchA teaspoon is usually the ceiling, not the starting point
- KeepsA year or more sealed; the scent fades once opened
The Ingredient Atlas, in your pocket
Every Sofra recipe is free to read here on the web. The app carries an Ingredient Atlas covering Rose Water and dozens more Levantine ingredients — in English, Arabic and Portuguese, with the name in French and Spanish too — alongside a free collection of 112 recipes to cook from.
Get Sofra — free download →What it tastes and smells like
Pure floral, with no sweetness of its own. In a pastry cream or a syrup it reads as perfume and lifts everything around it; past a certain point it stops smelling like roses and starts smelling like soap, and there is no way back from that in a finished dish.
Strength varies by brand more than almost anything else on this list. Rose water from a Middle Eastern grocer is commonly far more concentrated than a bottle from a pharmacy or a cosmetics shelf.
Too much cannot be corrected. Add half, taste, then decide.
What it is used in
- Ashta2 tbsp rose water
- Idlib Noah's Pudding2 tbsp rose water
- Baklava1 tbsp Rose water
- Halawet el-Jibn1 tbsp Rose water (for ashta)
- Haleeb bil Mastic1/2 tsp rose water
- Halva Tahinieh — Idlib Sesame Paste Halva1 tbsp rose water (optional)
- Jallab2 tbsp rose water
- Kabsa Idlibi — Spiced Rice with Lamb and Dried Fruit1 tbsp rose water
29 Sofra recipes use it in all — browse the collection.
How to buy and store it
Buy the food-grade version from a Middle Eastern grocer or an international aisle, and check that it is sold for cooking. Cosmetic rose water is a different, weaker product and sometimes contains things you would not want to eat.
Add it off the heat and at the end. Distillates are volatile: rose water simmered into a syrup loses much of what you paid for. Start with half of what a recipe says, taste, and add the rest if it needs it.
If you cannot find it
- Orange blossom water goodA different floral note — more citrus, less rose. Interchangeable in a great many desserts.
Frequently asked questions
What is rose water?
Rose water is water distilled with rose petals. It carries the scent of the flower and none of its sweetness, and it is used across Levantine sweets, pastry creams and drinks.
How much rose water should I use?
Less than you expect. A teaspoon is usually the ceiling in a home recipe rather than the starting point. Add half, taste, and decide from there.
Why does my dessert taste like soap?
Too much rose water. The line between perfume and soap is narrow, and once crossed it cannot be corrected in a finished dish.
Is cosmetic rose water the same thing?
No. Buy the food-grade version. Cosmetic rose water is weaker, is not made for eating, and sometimes contains added ingredients.
Can I substitute orange blossom water?
Yes, in most desserts. It gives a lighter, more citrus floral note rather than a rose one, but it sits in the same place in a recipe.
When do I add rose water?
Off the heat, at the end. It is volatile, and simmering a distillate into a syrup drives off much of the aroma.