Pot Pourri |
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Pot Pourri A mixture of fragrant materials placed in a bowl or jar and used for perfuming the rooms of a house. Pot pourri has been used since medieval limes. The term 'pot pourri' is French, derived from Spanish for a stock-pot or mixed stew. Originally many pot pourri mixes sold by perfumers were simply the residues of their working material (now known as Olla-podridu (q.v.)). Early pot pourri was usually made of fresh, moist ingredients, with rose petals and orange flowers predominating, which were left to infuse tor a month or two with salt added as a preservative, after which other powdered perfumes or essential oils were added before the composition was brought into use. Dry pot pourri, which is the type manufactured commercially at the present time, also traditionally has a preponderance of rose petals, but lavender and many other dried flowers are used in it as well. Salt is sometimes still added as a preservative, as also are small amounts of essential oils. Despite the name, most 'dry' pot pourri are not normally sufficiently dry to be used in sachets. Unscented flowers which keep their colour after drying are sometimes added to both moist and dry pot pourri to improve their appearance. Modern commercial pot-pourri production in the UK relies almost completely on imported materials/ such as rose petals from Morocco and Turkey and jasmine from Italy. Blends of perfume oils (called 'revivers') are now made to freshen up pot pourri when their scent begins to fade.
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