Floral waters: Ancient tradition in Tunisia that outshines modern fragrances

TUNIS, Tunisia

The sweet-smelling "floral water" of Tunisia, distilled from aromatic flowers in a centuries-old tradition of the North African country, gives a higher-quality fragrance than modern scents, according to a local practitioner.

Floral water is deeply rooted in the country's culture, especially in the northeastern coastal area of Nabeul, where the scents of geranium, rose, and orange blossoms flow through many of the local homes.

In a centuries-old practice, which is often handed down from mother to daughter, making floral water involves the distillation of blossoms in large cauldrons for hours on end, to produce a fragrance that can outstrip ready-made perfumes.

Duda bin Salim, a resident of Nabeul who grew up in the city, inherited the practice from her elders.

Traditional floral water techniques yield scents of higher quality than more modern distillation methods, she told Anadolu, adding, however, that younger people often shy away from the traditional process as it takes a longer time to complete.

"The distillation process carried out with traditional methods allows us to obtain a cleaner, higher quality, and more durable product," she said.

Bin Salim, 66, explained that once the flowers are purified, washed, and watered, they are placed in big cauldrons with their stems still attached and placed in a pot over a fire.

The vapor leaves the pot through a lengthy tube passing through another pot filled with cold water, cooling it and condensing the steam back into liquid form.

"The container of glass at the opposite end of the pipe collects the floral water, which is gathered there and used in the kitchen or as a cosmetic product," Bin Salim said.

The process takes at least four hours for roses and up to three hours for other flower varieties.

Bin Salim remarked that they usually sell homemade products, for the equivalent of $15-25, depending on the type of flower.