How many roses did you have for breakfast? - Rose jam

Rosa Damascena

In the old days when modern methods of preserving fruits all year long didn’t exist, there was still a need to serve your guests some always available dessert. This led people to invent fruits preserved in syrup. A spoonful of such a preserve and a cup of Greek coffee were and still are the common welcoming treat.

''...add the lemon juice and magically your jam turns to a beautiful red''

Rose jam, though, is quite different since it can only be made from   a specific species of rose(Rosa Damascena)
, the same one used for rose oil extraction.

These roses are mostly cultivated in monasteries all over Greece where this jam is part of their income, but it is also served as a treat for the visitors. It is not usual to find these roses in house gardens probably because they blossom only for a couple of weeks every June. They have very thin petals and a very intense aroma.

I believe you can try this recipe with roses from your garden with similar characteristics.

500gr sugar

180gr water

100gr rose petals

1 tsp glucose syrup

2 Tsp lemon juice



yoghurt with rose jam



Combine sugar, water and glucose syrup in a saucepan and bring to boil. When the sugar is dissolved, add the rose petals, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 24 hours. Next day bring to boil again and cook until the syrup reaches the jelly point. If you have a candy thermometer then 105-110 C is ideal for your jam. At this point add the lemon juice and magically your jam turns to a beautiful red. Put hot jam in sterilized jars if to be stored.