Scented water type of perfume. It was an Egyptian custom then to sprinkle guests with rose water or orange-flower water after dinner just before they were to go home. Even though it is said by scholars that the art of perfumery has it roots in antiquity, the city of Montpellier has self established itself as the birthplace of perfumery. In the 18th century they honored guests of the city with scented water and other 'gifts of fragrance'. There are even perfume manuals that describe Montpellier perfumes as being "a la mode de Montpellier" because of extra ingredients used that enhance their fragrances.
Osmanthus fragrans carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots. A number of cultivars have been selected for garden use, with varying flower colors. Within Japan, the white- and orange-blossoming subspecies are distinguished as "ginmokusei" (, "silver osmanthus") and "kinmokusei" (, "gold osmanthus"), respectively. In Chinese cuisine, its flowers may be infused with green or black tea leaves to create a scented tea (桂花茶, "guìhuāchá"). The flowers are also used to produce osmanthus-scented jam ( , , "guìhuājiàng"), sweet cakes (, "guìhuāgāo"), dumplings, soups, and liquor. Osmanthus jam is used as an ingredient in a type of gruel called "chátāng" (), which