studentsineurope

Roses are Red… and Tasty

Rose-flavored loukoumi, a Greek dessert.

If you’re traveling in the eastern Mediterranean, there are dozens of new flavors you’ll want to try. Greek/Cypriot/Turkish coffee is a must – all three are the same thing, but how you order it depends on what country you’re in and your desire to avoid making political enemies. Feta you’ve probably tried and you may be familiar with kalamata olives, but you haven’t really enjoyed them until they’ve been part of a horiatiki – a traditional Greek salad (warning: if there’s lettuce in it, you got the tourist version). The stuffed vegetables are delicious – tomatoes, peppers, squash blossoms, and grape leaves are traditional all over the eastern Mediterranean. And you shouldn’t miss the salty, grillable halloumi cheese that is only made on Cyprus (like “champagne,” the name “halloumi” is a controlled designation).

The culinary delights of the eastern Mediterranean are endless, but there’s one flavor you really ought to savor while you can, because it almost never shows up on American menus or in the aisles of Whole Foods. That flavor is rose. Rose is used for a wide variety of Mediterranean desserts and – if you’re lucky – alcohols, including rose-scented vodka and liqueurs. Rose tends to be unpopular with Americans because we think it tastes like hand soap, but if you can get past your first associations, rose has a delicate but luxurious flavor that quickly becomes addictive.

In Cyprus, I learned to love rose ice cream. I bought it almost daily and often paired it with fig, a combination that was unforgettable. I also tried rose syrup poured over a kind of crunchy gelatin dessert, which was really unusual and very good.

In Greece, I discovered rose-flavored loukoumi. You may know loukoumi as Turkish Delight (especially if you’ve read the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), but in Greece I recommend calling it loukoumi (see “Greek/Cypriot/Turkish coffee,” above). If you aren’t familiar with the candy by either name, it is block-shaped and rolled in powdered sugar with the consistency of a very soft gummy bear. It often contains chopped pistachios and comes in a variety of fruit flavors. Rose is one of the most traditional flavors, however, and if you ask me, the best.

For me, rose is one of the flavors that defines the Mediterranean. You find roses growing all over countries like Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. I’ve enjoyed them in shaded courtyards and on trellises growing against whitewashed walls. Like lemons and oranges, roses remind me of warmth and sun. Smelling a rose with my eyes closed makes me think of listening to bouzouki music on the island of Kea, and if I could eat that memory, it would taste delicious.

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I’m a fan of trying new foods. I’ve eaten raw shrimp heads, whole pigeons (bones, organs, and all), and four varieties of snails. So far, sheep intestine is the only thing I really just can’t recommend (it was terrible). But rose is a flavor that everyone can learn to enjoy, and it has added benefits – now my hand soap smells like candy.