Bulgaria and the Valley of Roses

When it comes to the gifts of Nature, Bulgaria is a very special place. A legend tells that when God was giving land to the peoples on Earth, He forgot the Bulgarians. Finally, having nothing to spare, He gave them a small piece of Eden. The story sounds almost true to those who have already visited Bulgaria and had the chance to travel across its countryside. The beautiful scenery and constantly changing landscape, the mild climate and fresh and clean environment are only a part of it. The rest is made up by the simple and friendly people and the excellent food accompanied by a wide choice of red and white wines.

This, however, is not everything about Bulgaria. This land is famous for the large variety of aromatic botanicals, most of them being a rich and unique source for the production of raw materials not only for perfumery, cosmetics and food flavors industries, but also for pharmaceutical manufacturers and, of course, for the needs of aromatherapy.

But that is still not all of Bulgaria. In the long list of aromatic plants, both wild and cultivated, in the country, there is one that is extremely precious - the oil-bearing rose, Rosa Damascena, also known as the Kazanlak Rose, or just the Bulgarian Rose.

There are about 7,000 varieties of roses in the world, but only a few are oil-bearing and among them Rosa Damascena is recognized to be the most valuable.

Rose cultivation and processing have a long history deeply rooted in the past. It is believed that the birthplace of Rosa Damascena is in the mountains of southern Iran and also in the area around Damascus, Syria. At the beginning it was a wild growing bush, but in the course of time local people became increasingly aware of the unusual aromatic properties of the plant and began its selection and cultivation. At the same time, they invented and gradually developed the distillation techniques for processing of rose flowers into rose water. This was widely used at religious events and also for cosmetic, medical and household purposes.

In fact, it was the strong and increasing demand for rose water that stimulated the spread of rose cultivation. First to the East, reaching the northern parts of India, and then to the West, following the Arab expansion into the lands of North Africa.

In the Arab countries, especially in Morocco and Tunisia rose cultivation and rose water distillation found further development. They became an important factor in the economical and cultural life of the people. According to some historical documents of that time, rose water was even used as local currency.

While distilling rose flowers into rose water people noticed small oily drops floating on the surface of the water and they began to collect them. This substance was impressively fragrant and they called it "attar" of roses. Actually this was how the rose oil production began. Of course, obtained in this way the rose oil could not be produced for commercial purposes and although considered quite interesting and aromatic, at that time, people had no idea how to use it properly.

The intensive and expanding trade with rose water, as a result of the great demand for this product, encouraged the further spread of rose plantations northward through the lands of Asia Minor to the area around Edirne, which in 15th century was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire.

It is considered that Rosa Damascena was brought to Bulgaria in the first half of the 17th century. Initially, it was planted around the town of Kazanlak, but during the years the number of rose fields increased,occupying the land between the Balkan Mountain and the Sredna Gora Mountain in Central Bulgaria. This place is now known worldwide as the Valley of Roses.

There are several factors that encouraged the vast development of rose cultivation and processing in Bulgaria.

First comes the fact that after a long period of time, passing through many different countries and coming all the way from the sunny and dry lands of southern Iran, Rosa Damascena finally found a real home in Bulgaria. Happened so that the soil and climatic conditions here best matched the needs of the plant.

Mild winters, wet springs, hot dry summers and late sunny autumns characterize the four rotating seasons in the Valley of Roses. Most important of all, however, is the daily weather cycle at crop time in May and June. Every day, as if having been programmed, the cold dewy dawn will turn into a bright hot day with a lot of sunshine and then suddenly, early in the afternoon, heavy clouds will bring short but generous rain showers. This kind of weather usually prolongs the time of harvesting and increases the rose oil yield.

The prevailing sandy and loamy soils in the Valley are easily cultivated, do not retain rainwater on the surface, but retain it for quite a long time, thus ensuring enough moisture for the rose plants.

In Bulgaria, Rosa Damascena found not only a comfortable home but also a loving family. People in the Valley strived to improve the methods of planting and cultivation. The unique Bulgarian planting technology known as "kesme" helped the wide spread of the rose gardens and at the same time developed and preserved the special character of the plant over the centuries.

It was in Bulgaria where the distilling equipment, brought in from the Arab countries, was significantly improved along with introducing of new distillation techniques.

In order to produce rose water of superior quality with higher alcohol content, people began to distill it repeatedly, using their rich experience in redistilling rakiya, a Bulgarian national drink obtained from grapes or plums. The multiple distillation not only improved the quality of the rose water, but also led to another very important outcome which had a tremendous impact on the industry. The new distilling technology made it possible for the first time to produce rose oil on a commercial scale. The above development coincided in time with the fast growth of the perfumery and cosmetics industry in Western Europe. The manufacturers in France, Germany, England and other European countries greatly appreciated and warmly accepted this very precious product. The business contacts between the Bulgarian rose oil producers and their customers in the West intensified especially in the second half of the 19th century with the construction of new railroad connections and improvement in the boat traffic along the Danube River. Since the first arrival of the rose, many things have changed in the Valley of Roses as they have elsewhere in the world. One thing, however, remains unchanged over the centuries and this is the unique and ever fascinating Valley itself. But this not all about Bulgaria. Come and see!