The Rose Valley

‘The Valley of the Roses’ – this is the valley between the mountains Stara Planina and Sredna Gora. The valley itself has specific climate with a short mild winter and a long and warm spring. The rose needs moisture and warmth and that is why all oil-bearing rose fields are here. About three centuries ago the oil- bearing rose Damaskinia was brought from the Middle East. Bulgaria has established itself as one of the leading producers of rose oil since 17th century. Nowadays Bulgaria is the second largest world exporter, right after Turkey, producing about 1 ton of rose oil a year. One kilogram of rose blossom is necessary for the production of one kilogram of rose water, while in order to produce one kilogram of rose oil nearly 3,500 kilograms of rose blossom is used. It takes three years from planting for the rose bushes to form and be ready for the first rose picking. It is done by hand and starts very early in the morning up to noon at the latest. The blossom has to be fresh and has to be not fully bloomed. This is so because it is necessary to preserve the aroma and the moisture of the blossom so that they are extracted later during distillation. The extraction of Bulgarian rose oil is accompanied by centuries of cultural traditions.

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