A Sweet Floral Food Trend written by Carrie Pais on 10/27/2010

By Carrie Pais

Metrocurean contributor

One of my favorite food trends is the use of floral waters. Often used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking, orange blossom, lavender and rose waters are making an appearance in restaurant kitchens across the country. The flavor that these delicate waters bring to the table is typically subtle, but pronounced enough to provide a unique and alluring dimension to what you’re eating or drinking. A little goes a long way.

When used properly, floral waters offer the kind of flavor that will have you wondering what that hint of something is, without immediately being able to figure it out.

The sky is the limit, really, when it comes to incorporating floral waters into recipes. That’s the fun of it. They can be used to enhance salad dressings, desserts and beverages to name a few.

I recently chatted with Farhad Assari, the owner of the popular Sauca food trucks, who shared his recipe for Sauca's signature "limunad" (pictured above). The refreshing drink adds a touch of orange blossom water to a homemade limeade. Check out the recipe for Sauca's limunad here.

A few more dishes that deliver a floral fix around DC:

• Indique Heights' rice pudding with orange blossom water 

• Kababji Grill's namoura cake made with semolina and rose water

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