Okay, so I'll admit that, in this country, eating rose petals can seem a little affected, maybe even weird. And a lot of people who have eaten them find them too perfume-y, like the living room of an elderly lady in the 1950s. But you have to give them their due; rather than a novelty, they're actually a bona fide ingredient in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. And if you've never tried them—or if, like me, you are a fan of their beautifully aromatic, mildly sweet flavor, with its subtle undertones of cinnamon and mint—have I got a product for you. Knowing of my fondness for the culinary virtues of roses, Zanne Stewart, our media food editor, brought me a jar of Tea-Rose Petal Jam from Harvest Song, a company that imports jams and compotes made from minimally processed fruit in Armenia. It's become my new favorite. A little bit gets spread over pork roasts during the last 20 minutes of cooking, a large dollop goes into the braising liquid for lamb shoulder, and (maybe best of all) just a teaspoon or so gets mixed into a small bowl of Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast. If you remember that, as with many other exotic ingredients, it's best to have a light hand, I predict you'll become a fan. I mean, come on—what's more romantic than roses for breakfast?
