Musée du Parfum
On our second day in Marrakesh, as we were walking through the medina we noticed a small black sign leading down a side street for the Musée du Parfum. With no set plans, we decided to take a visit, and were so impressed with this informative and interactive museum. Set inside a riad, you travel through various rooms each dedicated to a different aspect of the art and history of perfumery in Morocco, as they teach about the process of collection, distillation, and more.
The Seven Perfumes of Morocco
One of the most interactive rooms was set behind a dark curtain to block out excess light and sound, to heighten your sense of smell. Hanging throughout the room were seven decanters, each filled with an aroma that is key to the flavors and fragrances of Morocco.
As detailed in the museum, each of these scents are “found in the daily life of Moroccans as well as during all the festivals and rites of passage”. These seven scents are:
- Orange blossom
- Jasmine
- Rose (the rose of dadès)
- Mint
- Cedar
- Saffron
- Lemon verbena (odorous verbena)
While each of these could have their own dedicated post exploring their composition and place in cuisine and culture, I’m going to focus on rose.
Rose
At least for Melissa and I, the two scents we would most associate with our time in Morocco are orange blossom and rose. Especially in Tangier, the smell of oranges seemed to follow us everywhere we went. Conversely, in Marrakesh, this was replaced with the delicate, characteristic scent of rose. And this feels extra fitting in the city aptly nicknamed the “Red City” or the “Rose City”, for its enchantingly pink buildings. Rose wafted through the Medina, was sprinkled on desserts and dishes, and played a prominent role in the various gardens we ambled through.
We also learned of the Valley of Roses, a region within the Atlas Mountains that is home to the delicate and beautiful Damask rose. Each year up to 4,000 tons of wild roses are harvested here by hand, blanketing the landscape with scattered pink. And in the town of Kalaat M’Gouna, a festival is held every May to celebrate the rose harvest. It takes about 4 tons of rose petals to make just one kilo of rose oil, so the celebration of their rose seems equally grand.
The Fragrance Pyramid
After walking around the museum, we got to take a workshop with a master perfumer’s apprentice and create our own perfume. Melissa smelled the roughly 30 different ingredients we could choose from, and followed the fragrance pyramid to create her own “signature” perfume.
The Fragrance pyramid is composed of three sections: Top Notes, Middle (also known as Heart) Notes, and Base/Bottom Notes. Essentially, the top notes are what hit your nose first, but are also the ones that evaporate away the quickest. Typically, these last just a few minutes, and tend to be fresh and invigorating notes, like citrus or peppermint.
Next come the Heart Notes. These are more noticeable as the top notes begin to dissipate, intensifying within a few hours after application. They’re the main identity of the perfume, making up roughly 65 – 70% of notes.
Finally, you have the Base Notes, which linger the longest and tend to form the foundation of the overall fragrance. These can last up to 6 hours (or sometimes even longer), and are the heaviest notes. Some common base notes include patchouli, sandalwood, and musk.
Melissa’s Perfume
For Melissa’s creation, she started by smelling the various ingredients she could pull from. After a brief explanation of the pyramid, the apprentice helped guide us on what would work well together. For the base notes, she chose musk, amber, and ginger. For the heart, we added rose with a hint of peach. Forgoing any top notes, this was the makeup of her new scent. Melissa really wanted something to remember Marrakesh by, so she really focused on rose. And she named it “The Blushed Jewel”, in homage to the city.
While we don’t create fragrances at TasteWorks, aroma plays such an essential role in taste, that it cannot be kept separate from flavor development. Some of my favorite flavors the team has created I love especially for their scent!
If you’re looking to add rose to your product, or any other fragrant tasting notes, contact us today for a sample! Whether you have something specific in mind, or are looking for suggestions, we’re always happy to help.
