Some ingredients are just so exotic and sexy we keep them on hand to class up the pantry. Rosewater, a distillate of crushed rose petals used to make rose oil, can turn a plain jane dish into a delight fit for Scheherazade. Rosewater is a key ingredient in traditional recipes, particularly sweets, throughout the Middle East and South and West Asia, and it is used as a celebratory beverage in Muslim countries where alcohol consumption is prohibited. Though a staple of the more exotic culinary regions, rosewater is also right at home in more familiar dishes as well, and we love figuring out new ways to use it in our favorite recipes.

Made from the super-fragrant damask rose, most commercial rosewater is produced in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The steam distilling process for roses was developed in Persia, and many traditional Persian recipes include rosewater as a key flavoring, especially for desserts like bastani akbar-mashti, a rich Persian ice cream. Westerners’ first taste of rosewater may come in the form of Turkish Delight, a sweet jelly candy that is popular in Great Britain and Australia. Rosewater is also a key ingredient in the syrupy dough ball synonymous with dessert in Indian restaurants, gulab jamun.

While it’s fun to use rosewater in exotic new recipes, we love rosewater as a “secret ingredient” in good old American desserts. Since strawberries and raspberries are members of the rose family, they taste great with a judicious splash of rosewater, as do other red fruits like rhubarb, cherries, blood oranges and pomegranates. Fold a bit of rosewater into whipped cream, add it to a compote or stir it into a custard or sauce. Add it a little at a time—too much can result in a cloying soap-like flavor. Whether you’re experimenting with a new cuisine or want to glamorize your strawberry shortcake, rosewater is your pantry’s new secret weapon.