It's pretty impossible to be a foreigner in Bulgaria and not notice the huge number of Bulgarian Rose products from rose oil to lotion, soap, bubble bath and even rose rakiya. These are it seems a staple of tourist shops. Heck, I too have brought back rose perfume in little carved wooden containers.  Kitch but still pretty great.

So today, a quick short article in the NYT Style section caught my eye.  It's on <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/dining/01power.html?ref=style" target="_blank">cooking with rose water</a>.  The article is apparently part of an ongoing discussion of power ingredients for cooking.

The headline grabbed me because of the rose water but the writing was pretty good so I kept reading.  Then I poured over the four tasty sounding recipes especially the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/dining/01powerrex2.html?ref=dining" target="_blank">Grilled Rose Water Pound Cake</a>. <em>Holy smokes</em>.

Rose water sounds amazing. Check out these great ides:
<blockquote>You can also just start freelancing. Taking a cue from 18th-century  bakers, substitute rose water for the vanilla in cupcakes, puddings or  scones. Or (a personal favorite) add a teaspoon or so to your next batch  of French toast batter. Put a drop or two in a glass of lemonade for a  remarkably refreshing summer drink — or make a rose martini in the same  manner.

Rose water matches uncannily well with many fruits, drawing out their  shy aromas. Try adding a bit to a bowl of strawberries, or sprinkling  sliced melon, plums or peaches with rose water mixed with a bit of  riesling.

And if you make a salad of bitter greens dressed with a vinaigrette that  has been barely touched with rose water, you’ll quickly change your  mind about the versatility of this ingredient.</blockquote>
Sure, I already know that I like it. Enter rose lakum (Bulgarian Turkish delight--can I even say that? Well I just did). But I'd never considered all of the other dishes and drinks that I could spice up with some rose water. <!--more-->

Needless today, it got me thinking about the dishes I could make but more specifically about Bulgarian rose water.

Here's the thing in all of these Bulgarian tourist shops I've seen cosmetic quality rose water but I don't think that I've ever seen food quality rose water. Or Bulgarian rose water made specifically for cooking. Is there such a thing?

Here's what my concern boils down to: most cosmetics I wouldn't want to eat--say lipstick or mascara. But I feel pretty confident that they are safe enough to apply to my face.  Does the same go for cosmetic quality rose water? Hard to say.

Can I eat it? Or more specifically, can cook with it?

Any idea what the difference is between rose water for cooking versus cosmetics? Is it the quality/purity of the water and the rose extract? Is the difference basically that rose water for cooking is meant to be consumed while rose water for cosmetics is considered topical and therefore less controlled?

And the big question, can I get my hands on Bulgarian cooking quality rose water?

I guess I'll have to hope that one of my loyal readers knows the answer to this. Or I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a bottle.