Unless you are lucky enough to live in a hill station, Indian Summers can be pretty brutal. I rely on a lot of different fruit or flower squashes to keep cool on these super hot days. Rooh Afza is undoubtedly one of the most famous squashes or concentrates available here. It was formulated in 1907 & has been widely available in both India & Pakistan since (it’s exported a lot too!). Most of us have been drinking Rooh Afza since our childhoods, so I thought I’d write about Rooh Afza & a few reasons why it’s truly awesome.
Why Rooh Afza Is Awesome!
Rooh Afza is formulated using natural coolers
While the most prominent & easily discernible ingredient in Rooh Afza is none other than the rose flower, Rooh Afza is actually a unani (a kind of herbal medicine) formulated with a few different herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers & roots-
Herbs: purslane (“Khurfa seeds”, Portulaca oleracea), Chicory, wine-grape raisins (Vitis vinifera), European white lily (Nymphaea alba), blue star water lily (Nymphaea nouchali), lotus (Nelumbo), Borage and Coriander
Fruits: orange, citron, pineapple, apple, berries, strawberry, raspberry, loganberry, blackberry, cherry, concord grapes, blackcurrant and watermelon
Vegetables: spinach, carrot, mint and mướp hương (Luffa aegyptiaca)
Flowers: rose, kewra (Pandanus fascicularis), lemon and orange
Roots: vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides)
The ingredients were chosen for their cooling properties, that’s part of the reason why Rooh Afza is the perfect summer drink!
It’s Incredibly Versatile
One of the best things about Rooh Afza is that there isn’t just one way to consume it! The classic way of course is to mix it with water & have it chilled or mix it with chilled milk too, but a quick google search reveals a multitude of ways you can use it, ranging for simple to advanced.
Add just a couple of ingredients & you can make a refreshing Rooh Afza Lemonade, a great spin on a summer classic!
Another simple recipe that’s perfect for summers. Mix Rooh Afza with some milk & chill in popsicle moulds to make Rooh Afza Popsicles.
For the baking enthusiasts, check out this amazing recipe for Rooh Afza Macarons, a great blend of the classic Rooh Afza flavor with the timeless French dessert. Check out the link for step by step instructions with pictures.
The lesson being, you will never run out of new ways to use Rooh Afza.
It has stood the test of time!
As I mentioned earlier, Rooh Afza has been in production since 1907 – it completed it’s centenary nine years ago! Many generations have grown up enjoying it, so it has developed a cult following & is available in Indian / Asian stores across the globe.
If you are looking for a great way to stay cool, look no further than Rooh Afza, you can also buy Rooh Afza online! Have you ever tasted Rooh Afza? What’s your favorite way to have it? x
