Lance Carson
Orange blossom perfume has been used and loved since ancient times, with its sweet, honeyed fragrance prized by the French nobility in the 17th century. The perfume is made from the bitter orange tree, which primarily grows in the Mediterranean and Asia. The flowers are hand-picked in the spring and the petals are distilled to extract the essential oils used in perfumes and cosmetics. While steam distillation is the traditional method, there are other ways to make orange blossom perfume at home, such as using enfleurage, alcohol, or oil infusions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Traditional Method | Steam distillation in a still or katara (special copper equipment) |
| Easy Home Method | Infuse freshly picked blossoms in distilled water |
| Traditional Flower Source | Seville orange blossoms from the Mediterranean |
| Other Flower Sources | Any orange blossoms, rose petals |
| Preparation | Use flowers that have not been sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or insecticides. Avoid hybrid varieties. |
| Storage | Store bottles in a cool, dark location such as the refrigerator |
| Common Uses | Applied as a perfume and freshener, used in cosmetics, used in culinary preparations |
| History | Introduced to Europe by Arabs in the Middle Ages, became a favorite perfume of French nobility in the 17th century, became an important ingredient in eau de cologne in the 19th century |
| Flower Source | Bitter orange tree, grown primarily in the Mediterranean and Asia |
| Cultivation | Regular pruning, manual harvesting to avoid damaging petals, hand-sorting to select the best flowers |
| Enfleurage | Use fat to extract essential oils from flowers, remove stamen and stem from flowers to avoid staining oil yellow |
| DIY Orange Blossom Enfleurage | Use coconut oil, create slits in solid coconut, place blossoms face down on coconut, cover with glass dish and beeswax food wrap, leave for 24-48 hours, repeat process until scent permeates oil |
| Floral Essential Oils | Use cold-pressed sweet almond oil and fresh-cut full-bloom flowers, bruise flowers with a mortar and pestle, add flowers to oil, shake jar, leave in a warm temperature |
| Alcohol | Use high-proof alcohol like 100-proof rye or vodka, be careful to avoid overpowering flavors |
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What You'll Learn
Orange blossom history
The orange blossom is the fragrant flower of the Citrus sinensis (orange tree). It is used in perfume making and has been written about as an aphrodisiac. The orange blossom is significant in Greek mythology. At Hera's wedding to Zeus, she was crowned with orange blossoms by Gaia (the earth goddess) as a symbol of love and fertility.
The tree has a rich Arab-Andalusian history, spreading throughout the Islamic empire and reaching Spain in the 9th century. Spaniards brought citrus to the Americas in the 15th century, and orange trees became common in Spanish colonial gardens. Florida's subtropical climate and sandy soils proved ideal for cultivating citrus. By the 19th century, citrus was being grown throughout Florida, as well as in Georgia and South Carolina.
During the Victorian era, the use of orange blossoms in wedding ceremonies peaked after Queen Victoria wore a wreath of the flowers on her wedding day. The demand was so high that artisans began crafting imitation orange blooms out of wax, as many brides were unable to access the flowers.
The orange blossom lends its name to the Costa del Azahar ("Orange Blossom Coast"), the Castellon seaboard in Spain. Orange trees are such a common and iconic aspect of life in Florida that the orange blossom was designated by the legislature as the state flower.
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Enfleurage technique
Enfleurage is an old technique that uses fat to extract essential oils from flowers. This method has been used to extract oils from delicate flowers like roses, gardenias, and tuberose. This technique is considered an absolute that can also be chemically extracted. However, it is a very expensive and time-consuming process.
To make orange blossom perfume using the enfleurage technique, you will need fresh orange blossoms and a solid fat such as coconut oil, avocado butter, or beeswax. If using coconut oil, create slits in the solid coconut using a sharp paring knife in a criss-cross pattern. This will ensure that the scent penetrates the top layer of the coconut. Place your orange blossoms face down, with the stem side up, on the surface of the coconut. If using avocado butter or beeswax, create an emulsion by mixing the two ingredients. Place your orange blossoms on the surface of the emulsion.
Gently press the blossoms down and cover the entire surface. If there are any empty spaces, scatter loose petals around to fill them. Place a second glass dish over the flowers, pressing down to seal in the fragrance. You can also use a beeswax food wrap or plastic wrap to seal in the fragrance. Leave the flowers for 24-48 hours. After a day, check the flowers. If they have turned brown or look mushy, remove them immediately. Typically, the flowers should stay somewhat fresh-looking for at least 24 hours.
Once the flowers are spent (wilted but not rotten), carefully remove them and repeat the process until the scent has permeated the oil. This may take up to 10-20 applications, depending on the level of fragrance desired. For a stronger scent, more applications may be necessary. Finally, scrape the scented oil or emulsion into a jar. This oil can be used as a base for perfume, body balm, chapstick, cuticle oil, or any herbal preparation that requires an oil base. The process of making orange blossom perfume through enfleurage is an ancient and beautiful art.
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Steam distillation
Preparation
Firstly, gather your ingredients and materials. You will need freshly picked orange blossom petals, preferably from Seville orange trees, ensuring they have not been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. You will also need a copper still or katara, and some distilled water.
Distillation
Place the blossoms in the copper still and add enough distilled water to cover them. Heat the still over a flame or electric heater, ensuring that the water does not boil. The steam generated will pass through a cooling chamber, causing it to condense back into water. This water will now be infused with the fragrance of the orange blossoms.
Collection and Storage
Collect the distilled water in a container placed below the still's spout. Once the distillation process is complete, carefully transfer the orange blossom water into smaller sterilized jars with lids.
Storage and Usage
Store the jars of orange blossom water in a cool, dark location such as a refrigerator. The fragrance of the water will develop and mature over time. You can use this fragrant water as a natural perfume by applying it to your skin or clothing. It can also be used in culinary preparations, adding a unique scent and flavour to various dishes and beverages.
The entire process of making orange blossom water through steam distillation takes about an hour, but it then requires several weeks of steeping time to allow the fragrance to fully develop.
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DIY methods
Using Enfleurage
This is a traditional method of capturing the fragrance of delicate flowers like orange blossoms. The process involves placing the blossoms face down on a surface of coconut oil and covering them with a glass dish to seal in the scent. The flowers are left for around 24-48 hours, after which they are removed, and the coconut oil will have absorbed their fragrance. This technique is time-consuming and requires a lot of flowers, but it is a great way to learn about the history of perfumery.
With Alcohol
Alcohol can be used to extract the essence of orange blossoms. For this method, you will need a high-proof, neutral-flavoured alcohol like vodka or rye, as well as a glass jar, and fresh, pesticide-free orange blossoms. First, bruise the flowers with a mortar and pestle, then add them to the jar with the alcohol. Seal the jar and leave it in a warm place for at least two days and up to two months. The longer it sits, the stronger the scent will be. Finally, remove the flowers, and your orange blossom-infused alcohol is ready!
Making Essential Oil
To make an essential oil, you will need sweet almond oil and fresh, full-bloom orange blossoms. Put the flowers in a glass jar, bruise them lightly, then add the oil. Cap the jar and shake it thoroughly. Store the jar in a warm place, and your orange blossom essential oil will be ready to use!
Combining with Other Scents
You can also create your own unique orange blossom perfume by combining it with other scents. For example, you can mix and match different citrus notes like lemon, bergamot, or lime. Floral or herbal middle notes like lavender, rose, or rosemary can add complexity, while base notes like cedarwood, sandalwood, or vanilla will ground your perfume. Experiment with different combinations until you find a scent that you love!
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Uses in cooking
Orange blossom has a variety of culinary uses, particularly in Moroccan recipes. Orange flower water, also known as orange blossom water, is a common ingredient in Moroccan cooking, where it is used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It is used in desserts and sweets such as Moroccan rice pudding, Moroccan sweet rolls with anise and sesame, and cakes. It is also used in savoury dishes like chicken Bastilla and tomato jam.
Orange flower water is traditionally made using steam distillation in a still or katara (in Moroccan Arabic). As a still is not a common kitchen utensil, you can make orange blossom water at home by infusing freshly picked blossoms in distilled water, using everyday kitchen equipment. It is important to note that the blossoms should not be hybrid varieties, as the smell and essence may have been bred out of them. The blossoms should also not have been treated with herbicides, pesticides, or insecticides.
Once the water has been made, it should be strained into several smaller sterilized jars with lids and stored in a cool, dark location, such as the refrigerator.
In Tunisia, the city of Nabeul is known for its production of orange blossom, which is used in culinary products. In Morocco, the city of Marrakech is also known for its production of orange blossom, which is used in the manufacture of culinary products such as rose water.
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Frequently asked questions
Orange blossom perfume is traditionally made by steam distilling the flower petals to extract the essential oil. This method is typically carried out using a copper still.
One way to make orange blossom perfume at home is by infusing freshly picked blossoms in distilled water. You can also try enfleurage, an old-world technique that uses fat to extract essential oils from flowers. To do this, you can place orange blossoms face down on a surface of solid coconut and cover them with a glass dish to seal in the fragrance. Leave the flowers for 24-48 hours, then repeat the process until the scent has permeated the oil.
Seville orange blossoms from the Mediterranean are traditionally used to make orange blossom perfume. It's important to ensure that the flowers have not been sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or insecticides, and are not hybrid varieties, as the smell may have been bred out of them.
