avatarDanielle Herring

Summarize

5 Rose Recipes from the Past for Valentine’s Day

Mister Lincoln Rose by Roozitaa Wikimedia Commons Image License

The association with roses and Valentine’s Day began in the early 19th century Europe when specific meanings were assigned to flowers. Roses were defined in the first floral dictionaries to symbolize love, making the flower the perfect pairing with a holiday that became dedicated to romantic love. Incorporating rose petals and rose flavors into food and drink was also a common culinary tradition over a century ago. Inspired by the floral flavors of roses, here’s a romantic bouquet of rose recipes from the past for this Valentine’s Day.

Rosa Rubiginosa (Sweet Briar) by Stan Shebs Wikimedia Commons Image License

#1 Rose Tea

Rose petals were used as a tea substitute by the Victorian era. The Family Hand Book, published in 1838 recommended the petals of the dog rose. The 1847 book The Rose recommended sweet briar roses, stating that: “When dried in the shade and prepared as a tea, they make a healthful and pleasant beverage.” (p. 227) Rose tea remained popular into the early 20th century, a vegetarian cookbook, Mazdaznan Encyclopedia of Dietetics and Home Cookbook recommending chewing rose petals as a breath-freshener and drinking tea prepared from rose petals for an improved complexion.

SWEET TASTE IN MOUTH. Gather wild rose blossoms in season and dry them. Put them in an earthenware or close jar. After meals, wash the teeth and rinse the mouth well and use a few of the leaves, which should be chewed thoroughly and slowly, swallowing the liquid only. This process will give a sweet breath, while a mild tea made from the blossoms will give a clear tint and a beautiful skin, when drank one-half hour after meals. (p. 28)

Rosa Centifolia by Llez Wikimedia Commons Image License

#2 Rose Drops

Rose flavored candies were a common treat for centuries. Combinations of roses and sugar were once considered to have medicinal properties, including as a remedy for digestive issues and for treating coughs. By the mid-Victorian era, rose lozenges like this recipe were firmly in the confectionery category, although some pharmacies continued to prepare and sell them as a form of breath-mint.

ROSE LOZENGES AND DROPS. To 1 lb. of finely-sifted loaf-sugar, put 1 oz. of powdered gum arabic, or tragacanth; mix into a stiff paste with rose-water, and to which may be added a drop or two of the otto of rose; or still better, grind up with the paste a little of the conserve of roses, this gives both flavor and color; punch into round lozenges, about 15 grains each, and dry in a stove. Rose drops are made of the same preparation without the gum, boiled and dropped on a paper or tin. (p. 297)

Rosa Damascena by Kurt Stüber Wikimedia Commons Image License

#3 Rose Syrup

Roses lent their perfume to flavor syrups in old recipes. Like the rose lozenges, syrups have origins in medicinal preparations. Centuries-old herbals, like Culpeper’s English Physician contained detailed instructions to prepare syrups from flowers or herbs. This 1833 recipe for syrup of roses from Vegetable Cookery also includes a suggested use of creating a beverage with the syrup, reminiscent of a rose-flavored lemonade.

Syrup of Roses. Pour four pints of boiling water on one pound of fresh rose-leaves, or half a pound of dried leaves, cover it close for twelve hours, then strain, and add four pounds of good loaf-sugar; boil it to a syrup, and when cold, bottle. A table-spoonful or two of this syrup, put into a little water with a little lemon-juice, makes a very pleasant liquor. (p. 301)

Blush Noisette Rose by Salicyna Wikimedia Commons Image License

#4 Sugared Rose Petals

Candied or sugared rose petals were already associated with romance and Valentine’s day by the Victorian era. A late-Victorian etiquette book described the table setting of a “betrothal luncheon” describing, “Dresden cupids, in pretty and artistic poses, held dishes filled with candied rose leaves and little heart-shaped cakes covered in pink icing.” (p. 527) A box of candied rose petals was the suggested prize for a Valentine’s day game for children in the Victorian-era book, Fun for the Household. Candied rose petals could be purchased, usually as expensive imports, or more economically, prepared in home kitchens. This early 20th century cookbook contains a recipe for sugared rose petals or violets, flavored with vanilla.

SUGARED ROSE LEAVES OR VIOLETS. 2 cups granulated sugar. 1 teaspoon vanilla. ½ cup water. 2 cups rose leaves or 2 cups violets. Boil sugar water until it becomes a heavy syrup, add vanilla, and stir until it granulates, then put in flowers and mix until all is sugared. When cold sift loose sugar from them. (p. 257)

Hybrid Tea Rose by Louisix98 Wikimedia Commons Image License

#5 Peach Salad

Two rosaceae family plants are combined in this late-Victorian example of a fruit salad, which wouldn’t be out of place as part of the dessert course of a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Peaches are botanical relatives of roses, a new revelation in the history of botanical classification. Plants were originally classified by their appearance alone, until modern botanists began using DNA to find the genetic connections between different plant species. The modern Rosaceae family contains not only roses and peaches, but also strawberries, apples, pears, and cherries.

Peach Salad (English style.) Cut ripe, fine flavored peaches into quarters, after removing the skins. Cover with champagne, thoroughly chilled and sprinkle with tea-rose petals. Serve at once. (p. 126)

Try these rose recipes, or give them to a special someone this Valentine’s Day to indulge in the timeless romance of roses. If you loved this article, I have recently added a digital booklet of Rose Recipes From History to my ko-fi store. It contains 15 transcribed recipes for cuisine, cosmetics and crafts that have not been seen on Plant Based Past.

Thank you for reading!

If you love history, plants or the history of plants, consider supporting Plant Based Past by buying me a coffee!

For more vegan, vegetarian, and botanical histories, follow Plant Based Past on Medium.

You can sign up for email alerts to receive the next story when it becomes available, just by clicking the envelope icon.

Next Week: Silk of the North: Nettles — A Botanical History

Roses
Valentines Day
Vegan
Vegetarian
Food And Drink
Recommended from ReadMedium