This essential water has traditionally been used as an aromatizer in many Mediterranean traditional dessert dishes, such as in France for the gibassier and pompe à l'huile or in Spain for the Roscón de Reyes, or the Samsa in Tunisia or in Moroccan coffee, but has more recently found its way into other cuisines. For example, orange flower water is used in Europe to flavor madeleines, in Mexico to flavor little wedding cakes and Pan de muerto, and in the United States to make orange blossom scones and marshmallows. Orange flower water is also used as an ingredient in some cocktails, such as the Ramos Gin Fizz. In Malta and many North African as well as Middle Eastern countries, orange blossom water is widely used as medicine for stomach ache and given to small children as well as adults. Orange flower water has been a traditional ingredient used often in North African as well as in Middle Eastern cooking. In Arab variants of baklava, orange blossom water is often mixed with the sweet syrup for flavor. Orange blossoms are believed to be used in this manner because they are seen as the traditional bridal flower and, therefore, symbolize purity. It is also added to plain water in the Middle East to mask high mineral content and other unpleasant flavors ; some add the fragrance irrespective of the taste of the plain water.
By country and region
In Greece and Cyprus orange blossom water is called anthonero while in Malta it is known as Ilma Żahar. In the Levant, orange blossom water is known as May Zahr, in MoroccoIlma Zhar and in Algeria and Tunisia Ma Zhar, in the North African dialects meaning "orange blossom water", in contrast to May Ward or Ilma Ward, which is rose blossom water. Orange blossom water serves two purposes in the Maghreb: one usage is as a perfume or freshener, usually given to guests to wash their hands upon entering the host house or before drinking tea. It is put in a special silver or metal container, recognizable in the typical Maghrebi tea set. However, this old custom is fading away in the present day. The second usage of orange blossom water, however, is in Algerian cuisine, Tunisian cuisine, and Moroccan cuisine, especially as an ingredient for traditional sweets and sometimes to aromatize drinks such as coffee.
