Rose petals were already used in Persian cookery to perfume and flavor dishes long before the technique of distilling rose water was developed.
The person commonly credited with the discovery of rose water was the tenth-century Persian physician Avicenna.
Rose water soon became the rage in medieval Arab cookery, and through the Crusades the damask rose and distilled rose water were introduced to Europe.
Rose petals and rose water appear in a variety of Arab or Arab-inspired dishes from southern Europe, and as far north as England.
Because of its pleasant fragrance, rose water was also used for hand washing at luxurious feasts in the Middle Ages.
Physicians described rose water as a fortifying substance that was good for the sense organs, for the heart, and to prevent and cure fainting.
Source: Food in Medieval Times Book
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