White gold: why Tunisians love floral water

I don’t remember how old I was when I opened a cupboard at home and saw a wall lined with strange, worn-out plastic bottles filled with traditional floral water, one of Tunisia’s treasures.

The flowers, usually produced by women and used to make the liquid, are harvested in the spring when the flowers can be picked by hand.

orange flower (Citrus sinensis) season begins in April and May each year, followed by rose season. Once you have collected your flowers, it won’t take long to move on to the next step. The North African heat can quickly deplete a flower’s precious essence. Lots of dog roses and more (Rosa Canina), must be hand-picked at dawn, immediately sorted for quality, weighed and distilled.

The floral water steam distillation process uses dual heating and cooling techniques to extract suspended essential oils and water-soluble volatile components.

This process is often done at home by women using a closed-circuit two-stage tank known as an alembic. In the first container the flower is slowly heated and the steam passes through the tube into the cold water, which is then used in her second container, the feshka (a large glass container that is often an heirloom passed down from mother to daughter). ). The collected liquid acts as floral water.

I remember seeing a lot of fetishes at my parents’ house in Tunisia. It was so precious that when I was a child I wasn’t allowed to touch it. I watched as my aunts poured small amounts of liquid to use on hair and skin, infusing the air with unforgettable scents.

It is difficult to describe the intensity of the aroma of such a harvest.

“You have to smell it to understand it,” Rania Mansour Sunoussi, a Tunisian artisanal flower distiller and founder of Ezemnia, said in a short documentary for news agency Brut. “This process can take many hours.”

ancient process

This process of using alembic itself is reminiscent of ancient chemical experiments, Arab medicine, science, and alchemical research.

During Mesopotamian times, this extraction method was used to separate substances. Archaeologists have discovered an ancient type of alembic in northern Iraq, dating back to around 3500 BC.

The Persian polymath Ibn Sina is credited with inventing the modern method of steam distillation of essential oils, primarily rose essential oil, in the 10th century.His highly influential second book medical norms Learn more about the medical benefits of key plants.

Abu Bakr al-Razi, a physician and chemist who later discovered sulfuric acid and ethanol, wrote in his 10th century book: Book of Secrets (Kitab Al Asrar) about early distillation experiments and processes.

And in the 12th century, Ibn al-Awam of Andalusia agriculture book (Kitab Al Firaha) described distilled herbs and botanicals that are still consumed today.

“The scent of Tunisia”

Tunisian pantries contain one or more of these floral waters for use in baking and cosmetics, as well as for the treatment of the most common ailments. It’s a basic pharmacy that families used to make their own products before they could buy ready-made products cheaply. Some floral waters are now produced commercially for export, such as for the luxury perfume industry. Neroli, an extract used in the production of perfume, is extracted directly from orange blossoms.

Orange blossom water commonly treats stomach ailments, insomnia, anxiety, asthma, and heat exhaustion. It is a popular summer menu because it has a refreshing taste.

More than 2,500 tonnes of orange blossom was harvested in Nabeul, on Tunisia’s northeastern coast, in 2022, with 60 per cent of this produce distilled locally. Approximately 3,000 families in the area depend on this flower for a living.

Orange blossom water, also known as Tunisia’s “white gold,” is also a staple of desserts in Tunisia and around the world. It has a delicate yet bittersweet taste.

In the Nabeul and Capbon region, where most of Tunisia’s floral traditions originated and continue to thrive through small businesses and annual trade fairs, orange blossoms are also used in the preparation of delicious meals. It mixes well with saffron and can be used to moisten couscous grains and enhance the flavor of local ragu.The award-winning Tunisian online food magazine Mangeons bien has everything from strawberry salad to Mesfufu, A rich couscous dish mixed with olive oil and butter.

Talwa, a Tunisian student based in Rabat, Morocco, has fond memories of orange blossom water. “My grandfather used to spend summer nights in his garden, where there was a nice breeze coming from the sea,” she says. “He was drinking Turkish coffee with two drops of Saar.” [orange blossom water]. I still smell his coffee and remember him telling us stories from his youth. ”

For Salwa, who sometimes feels homesick, it’s the smell of home, the smell of Tunisia.

The saal added to coffee is called “café blanc” and is a spin on the Levantine tradition. Besides orange flower water, other common flower waters include various types of rose, jasmine, mint, rosemary, thyme, and geranium.

Rosa Canina, also known as Nesli In Tunisian dialect, this antioxidant-rich plant was brought to the lush slopes of Zaghouan in northern Tunisia by Muslim Andalusians after the Reconquista. Fairs continue to be held each year to celebrate this flower, which is said to be good for the heart.

Thyme is often used to treat respiratory diseases.called geranium water atarkia It’s a Tunisian dialect, it’s good for the skin, and you can drink it with coffee. A liter of geranium water costs about 10 dinars, or just over $3.

Health costs and the climate emergency

Residents of Tunis and the surrounding area are familiar with the sellers of Souk El Brat, home to traditional herbalists.

Mourad Ben Sheikh Ahmed, the Tunisian Urbex photographer and “medina explorer” behind the popular project Lost in Tunis, is a frequent visitor to Souk El Brat. “I love going there to smell the plants, see their colors, read the strange names and look for the photogenic potential of the place,” says Dismalden online. said Ahmed, who also goes by another name.

Many of these stores are closed and replaced by stores selling imported goods and other “fake” goods, which are likely to be more profitable.

The popularity of traditional treatments reflects a growing interest in alternative medicine, such as phytotherapy, especially in urban areas, among educated and wealthy people. But it also sheds light on darker realities and economic hardship. According to the World Health Organization, Tunisian households are spending more than 35% of their income on health care due to corruption, an exodus of health workers, the stress of the pandemic on a fragile health system, and territorial inequality.

Rising healthcare costs in the public health sector mean vulnerable families often rely on cheaper options such as herbal medicine.

Floral or aromatic waters are less concentrated than essential oils, making them gentler to use on skin, including children. However, they are more fragile and deteriorate faster. It is also seasonal; a year it is harvested once. One tonne of orange blossoms yields 600 liters of orange blossom water, but the ratio varies depending on the flowers used.

As accelerating climate change further disrupts weather patterns and access to water, artisanal modes of production need to be increasingly protected to preserve local traditions and remain a unified pride of Tunisian culture. right.

This article is available in French on the French edition of Middle East Eye.