Rose water Phoenicians considered large public rose gardens to be as important as croplands such as orchards and wheat fields. Rose perfumes are made from rose oil, also called "attar of roses", which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam-distilling the crushed petals of roses. Rose water is a by-product of this process. The cultivation of various fragrant flowers for obtaining perfumes, including rose water, may date back to Sassanid Persia, where it was known as "golāb" (Middle Persian: گلاب), from "gul" (rose) and "ab" (water). The term was adopted into Byzantine Greek as "zoulápin". The process of creating
Nelumbo nucifera dish. In Kerala (in Malayalam "താമര") and Tamil Nadu, this end product is called " Thamara Vathal". In [China] and Korea, lotus leaf tea (연잎차 "yeonipcha") is made from the leaves of the lotus. In Korea, lotus flower tea (연꽃차 "yeonkkotcha") is made from the dried petals of the white lotus. The stamens can be dried and made into a fragrant herbal tea (), or used to impart a scent to tea leaves (particularly in Vietnam). This Vietnamese lotus tea is called "trà sen", "chè sen", or "chè ướp sen". The petals, leaves and rhizome can also all be eaten