Its Middle-Eastern heritage sprouted from the land of Persia, where it was imported by Ottoman merchants. For over 400 years, the rose plantations grew which led to the naming of the ground, “Valley of Roses” located in Bulgaria. It has been known ever since, as the worlds source for rose oil and rose water.

Rose water had developed not only for its use in foods but also assisted in beauty which recognised Middle Eastern women amongst the most beautiful. Rose water had benefits towards their skin, hair and overall health which allowed them to indulge in their beauty. Egyptian queen Cleopatra glorified the use of rose water in her beauty regime as she would cleanse her face and body with authentic rose water.

Along with its beauty benefits and scented rose aroma, rose water was also used for medicinal purposes first discovered by the Romans. It then became a medicinal element for many cultures due to its natural healing powers.

Today, rose water is traditionally known for its use in sweets and drinks, to which Medfoods has sourced the worlds best rose water to accommodate for food purposes. A traditional Middle Eastern dessert, Knafeh, is well known for its use of rose water.

Teta swears by this recipe to satisfy the sweetened tastebuds of her family and friends.

Knafeh Recipe:

• 4 cups of Full Cream Milk
• ¼ cup of Medfoods Cornflour
• 500ml of Thickened Cooking Cream
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Vanilla Sugar
• ¼ cup of Medfoods Caster Sugar
• ½ cup of Medfoods Semolina Fine
• 2 tsp of Medfoods Rose Water
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Orange Blossom Water
• Unsalted butter for spreading
• Breadcrumbs, to cover top and bottom of baking dish.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Before bringing to heat, combine Medfoods Cornflour and cream in a large saucepan, beat. Then bring Medfoods Semolina Coarse, Medfoods Vanilla Sugar and Medfoods Caster Sugar, stir. Add milk, then stir all together until everything is combined. Place saucepan on high heat, continuously stir until mixture boils and thickens to become like custard. Add in Medfoods Rose Water and Medfoods OrangeBlossom Water to mixture, stir for another 30secs and turn off gas top.

Line serving dish with unsalted butter, sprinkle breadcrumbs to cover the dish and then pour in the mixture while still hot, allowing it to spread evenly. Then cover with remaining breadcrumbs and spread 2-3 teaspoons of butter on top; this allows it to give a golden finish while in the oven. Place dish in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Before serving, allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with sugar syrup.

Sugar Syrup Recipe:

• 2 cups of Medfoods Sugar
• 1 cup of cold water
• 4 tsp of Medfoods Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Rose Water
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Orange Blossom Water

Place Medfoods Sugar and water into saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, leave until all sugar is dissolved. Add Medfoods Lemon Juice, Medfoods Rose Water and MedfoodsOrange Blossom Water. Remove from heat; use to serve on Knafeh or store the syrup in a squeeze bottle at room temperature. It has a very long shelf life, it can be stored for months.