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Today, there are basically two main regions that cultivate roses for exuding essences.
The first is Bulgaria and Turkey that mainly cultivate improved species of R. damascena
and the second is Southern France and Morocco that mainly cultivate R. centifolia.
Among them, the Bulgarian rose is especially well-known for its supreme quality,
since Bulgarian soil and climatic conditions are said to be ideal for cultivating
roses. Bulgaria is the main producer of roses for essences and exports more than
1300 to 1400 kilograms of essential oils annually.
1400 flowers are needed to obtain 1 gram of precious essential oil which is the natural
exude of the rose. 3 tons of roses are needed to obtain 1 kilogram of essential oil.
When the flower-picking season comes in June and July, school closes and the whole
family goes to the fields to pick the precious flowers. Picking starts as early as
4 in the morning and continues until 10 am. One picker will pick about 30 to 50 kilos
of roses in a matter of six hours. Picking begins early to minimize the dissipation
of aromatic contents by sun exposure, for this deteriorates the quality of the roses.
The picked flowers are steamed at about 120°C, and are distilled for 3 hours
to exude the essential oil of the rose, as well as rose water.
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