Family circumstance and curiosity led boutique and natural perfumer Ayala Moriel from the city of Tel Aviv to the other end of the world on the west coast of Canada. After landing in Vancouver in her early 20s, her sense for Middle Eastern scents helped her create a unique line of natural perfumes for women and men.

Now 36, and considering a move back to Israel, Moriel mainly relies on electronic communication to help her develop custom-made scents from exotic ingredients that evoke the Arab market in the Old City of Jerusalem, or the verdant valleys that lead to the Mediterranean Sea from Israel’s Galilee. A consultation with her artisanal perfume house can start with an online questionnaire, and even a phone interview or personal meeting in Vancouver.

Moriel has also created about 50 signature scents with names like Zohar, Sahlab and Finjan, which I have tested and loved, and is working with companies to help create a commercial line of fragrances to be repackaged under other brands for products such as natural cleaning supplies.

Safe, natural ingredients

Moriel’s perfumes do not contain synthetic musk or odor-enhancing chemicals.

Though aware of the allergenic or toxic effects of synthetic perfumes, Moriel stays out of the politics of this debate in the perfume industry by saying that she works with only natural substances for aesthetic reasons: Natural perfumes have hues and layers much more resonant and complex than synthetic big-name brands at airport duty-free shops and American department stores, she says.

Living between the juxtaposed cultures of Jewish hippies, Druze villagers and Arab farmers helped define Moriel as the exotic, all-natural perfumer she is today.

Born in 1976 in Montreal, at the age of three she immigrated to Israel with her mother and stepfather. They helped found the alternative ecological village Klil, in Israel’s north.

Moriel’s products are favored by established, over-30 women.

“It was like heaven for a little girl because we had so much freedom and loved the nature and flowers around us,” she tells Green Prophet. For a few years, her family lived without electricity.

In her early 20s, she and her husband and baby went to look for new opportunities –– and Moriel’s birth father –– back in Canada. It would prove to be a difficult period in her life.

After a separation that left her alone with her autistic daughter in Vancouver, Moriel turned to burning incense to help her relieve stress and anxiety.

Enjoying it so much, Moriel decided to try making her own incense, but it did not live up to her expectations, smelling like a lit marijuana cigarette. Why not create scents that don’t need to be burned, she reasoned? Her unique brand, Ayala Moriel Parfums, was hatched. That was about 10 years ago.

With orange blossoms as compass

Always looking to her Middle Eastern home for inspiration, this year she returns directly to her Jewish roots by launching a new perfume called Etrog, which distills the hauntingly sweet smell of the citron, an aromatic citrus fruit used as a symbol in the fall Jewish holiday of Succoth.

Zangvil is one of her signature scents.

Before committing to a large order of Etrog, or any other scent for that matter, for about $50 Moriel will send a broad sample of scents in the mail –– each bottle containing at least a week’s worth of perfume. Customers can then work with Moriel to choose the right scent.

With winter coming, her perfumes offer an exotic pick-me-up, she says. The definitive lack of scents in chilly Canada pushes Moriel to keep surrounding herself with rich aromas formed in her early memories. She says that the warm, humid climate in Israel contains more fragrances than colder countries, and besides coming to see her growing family in Israel every year she is drawn to the odors.

“I am sensitive to the smells in Vancouver now and can pick up the cherry and linden blossoms. But it’s really the Middle Eastern heat that brings out the best in plants and flowers,” she says.

“And in the spring … there are orange blossoms in full bloom. I try to time my trips back to Israel around this time.”

::Ayala Moriel website

The post Natural perfumes inspired by citrus and etrog appeared first on Green Prophet.

The etrog is a stunning fruit. It’s also known around the globe as citron ––but it’s not to be confused with the French word “citron” which just means lemon.

The etrog or citron is indeed a citrus fruit, so cousin to lemon and lime, but it’s a world away from that tangyness and in its own class. Warty, yes, but too lovely-smelling to be eaten. The fruit is pretty tart like a lemon but there isn’t much juice. Since the thick skin is extremely aromatic we suggest turning the whole shebang into a jam. And we will share the process here.

The citron’s textured and dimply exterior might fool you as being a mutated lemon, and as a peeled fruit there isn’t much to taste. But as a jam? The aromatic flavors are what some compare to the smell of the Garden of Eden.

So this is the Queen of all citrus fruits and it’s cultivated in regions of Morocco to be ready for the autumn and the Jewish holiday of Succoth, the feast of booths. It’s an ecological holiday at the root of things. And if you dig into history you will see archeologists found the etrog trees growing during Biblical times. Today be on the lookout for organic etrog because pesticide use growing etrog is high.

How the etrog is connected to Jewish holidays

After a small cabin is built in the yard for eating and living in for 8 days, Jewish people obtain 4 elements from nature to remind them of their roots.

Every day a ceremony involving a willow branch, a citron, a palm frond and a myrtle branch is enacted. The etrog is used just for its smell while the other elements have characteristics of their own.

Usually there is an etrog left over from Succoth which ended last week so one etrog is not going to make a pile of jam but it will make a small treat. We urge you to use an organic citron if you can find it to avoid any pesticides that might have gone into growing the fruit. As it’s prized for its smell as well as it’s unusual looks and is an ornamental there are few controls on pesticide use for this fruit.

After the Hebrew holiday Succoth, Jewish families everywhere will have an extra etrog which can make a delicious jam. Just make sure the etrog is organic so you will avoid eating unwanted pesticides. Since the etrog is not normally cultivated for eating there are no limits on the pesticides that are used on the fruit.

Here’s Green Prophet’s tried, tested and try recipe that we come back to every year so you can make your own etrog jam.

Making etrog jam

Ingredients for making etrog jam:

1 etrog (citron)

6 cups water

3/4 cup sugar, use organic cane sugar if you can

Method

Slice and remove as many seeds from the etrog as possible. Try slicing the etrog the long way into eighths to get seeds out as efficiently as possible. There are a lot of seeds in an etrog so allow at least one hour for this step. It can be tedious but the results will be worth it. 

If you want to try and grow your own citron or etrog tree, save the seeds and put them aside for later. 

Chop the etrog fruit into very small pieces, including the peel, consider using a food processor like a Vitamix for this step. Although cutting it up with a sharp knife is more pleasant. Just watch out for squirts of juice in your eye. Notice the scent. Cover cut up etrog fruit with water and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Next, bring everything to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain fruit. Cover fruit with water and simmer again for 20 minutes, then refrigerate everything for at least 12 hours. Drain. Cover fruit with water and simmer uncovered again for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.

These steps are important because if you skip them the finished product will be bitter!

Cover your beloved etrog fruit with water and add most of the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for one hour. Be careful here, if you leave it for a minute it can burn on the bottom. If it does burn, do not stir up the burned parts into the jam. Dump the stuff into a clean bowl, wash out your pot, put the jelly back in and continue.

Taste to see if you need to add more sugar. Continue simmering for ½ hour or more. The temperature should be 220º–222º, the water should be syrupy and the fruit should be clear-ish.

It should cool and congeal. If it is still runny some people add ¼ – ½ cup of orange marmalade per quart to add “pectin” and cook 15-20 minutes more. Personally, I think that however it comes out is nice.

Now that the etrog is eaten…

More recipes for jam … and cucumbers:

Indulgence, Locavore Style: Homemade Strawberry Jam
Pickling 101 – Vinegared Cucumber Salad Recipe

Reader Feedback

“It’s true – the etrog is one of the most toxic, highly-sprayed fruits on the market, because it is usually purchased for ritual purposes, and not to be eaten. Don’t make any etrog recipes unless you know that the source of your etrog uses sustainable farming (and if you can find such a source, please let the rest of us know!).”

The post How to make etrog jam appeared first on Green Prophet.

Just after the Hebrew holiday of Sukkot Jewish people start planning what to do with the ritual fruit called an etrog. It is one of the four species used in the holiday. It is a wonderful smelling fruit that can be put to use in marvellous and creative ways.

Brew the rind into beer

A local craft beer in Tel Aviv called Dancing Camel brewery makes a Sukkot beer using etrog rinds. Why not make your own? Or start simpler with a tej mead beer from Ethiopia. 

Make etrog perfume

Perfumers distill essences of fruits and plants into oils that they deliver in a perfume. We know of an Israeli that makes an etrog perfume but why not try it yourself? Start simpler and make Ethiopian beer Tej, flavored with a bit o’ etrog rind.

Freshen up your closet

Keep it in your clothes closet. As it slowly dries out it releases a wonderful smell and will make everything smell nice.

Make an etrog for havdalah

Some people take an afternoon and push cloves into the etrog, covering the entire etrog. They then use the finished product for havdala, a Jewish ceremony performed after the end of the Sabbath, Saturday after nightfall. If you opt to do this, make sure you do so in one sitting since the etrog will dry out very quickly and you will not be able to continue later.

Make etrog-flavored vodka

Well you are not going to make the vodka. You will buy a good quality vodka and drop what rinds you have, minus the pulpy white bits, and let it sit for a month to release the smell of the etrog and to turn it into a flavor.

Make etrog jam

There are elaborate dishes such as etrog meringue pie, etrog cake or etrog risotto that people have historically made when they knew there were no pesticides on the rind of the fruit. If you find organic, or have a bounty of summer fruit to preserve like strawberries it is worth to make long-shelf life preserves and marmalade. But you will only have one or two etrogs. So follow this recipe to make etrog jam you will eat within a week or two.

The post 6 ways to use your etrog appeared first on Green Prophet.