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Orange Blossom Water, a condiments dish from Marrakech№107
Heat level 1 of 3

Condiments

Orange Blossom Water

Traditional slow copper-distillation of fresh bitter orange blossoms to yield highly concentrated, fragrant orange blossom water.

1-2 hoursYield · Depends on still; approximately 2 cups/475 ml small-batch hydrosolRegion · Marrakech

Materials

What you’ll need

  • 5 lbs fresh Seville bitter orange blossoms (Neroli flowers)250 kcal · 0 g protein · 0 g fat · 65 g carbs per 100 g
  • water42 kcal · 0 g protein · 0 g fat · 10.8 g carbs per 100 g

Per-100 g values shown for ingredients verified against Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients not yet verified show no nutrition line.

Method

How it comes together

  1. 1

    Harvest fresh, dew-covered orange blossoms early in the morning. Rinse gently.

  2. 2

    Place blossoms and water in the copper pot of an alembic still. Seal the joints with clay or flour paste to prevent steam leaks.

  3. 3

    Heat still slowly over low heat (approx. 200°F / 95°C). The steam will pass through copper pipes into a cold water condenser.

  4. 4

    Collect the condensed liquid (hydrosol) in clean glass bottles. The first bottle collected is highly concentrated orange blossom water.

Accuracy note

A blossom infusion is not orange blossom water and spoils quickly. Use only verified edible blossoms free of agricultural sprays.

Kitchen note

Keep orange blossom water sealed in dark bottles; it matures and develops a sweeter aroma over several months.

Record status

Editorial provenance

This entry is part of a source-led culinary archive. It should be read as an editorial recipe record, not as a claim of individual kitchen testing or a single definitive version of a living regional tradition.

5 source references are listed with this record where available. Read the editorial standards.

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