Orris Root Ground Powder Standard Jar 40g - Steenbergs details and description

Steenbergs Orris Root Powder is part of Steenbergs range of specialist herbs, spices and seasonings.  Steenbergs Orris Root comes from the ground bulbs of an European iris.  Traditionally, orris has been used in Western herbal medicine as a base for pot pourri, in perfumes, e.g. "Y" by Yves St Laurent, and as one of the spices in traditional gins, e.g. Bombay Sapphire Gin.  Steenbergs Organic blends it into Steenbergs ras al hanut spice mix.  Orris is also commonly used in making pomanders, which are perfumed balls often made using an orange, or for fixing the aromas of pot pourri.  Orris root has a sweet and lingeringly woody aroma.

Orris root powder comes from the rhizome of the Florentine iris, Iris germanica florentina.  The source of orris root, the Florentine iris is an attractive perennial plant with bluish-green, flat leaves that are 3-4cm wide (1-1.5 inch).  The flower stems reach up to 1 metre in height (3ft) and their flowers are either white tinged with violet and a yellow beard, or pure white flowers with no beard.  It takes three years for the plants to mature, when they can be dug up, peeled, dried and then ground to powder in much the same way as ginger and turmeric are processed.  The orris root powder comes from the rootstock (rhizome) and is a pale-green to white colour and has a texture a bit like talcum powder.  Orris root has an aroma that is very definitely floral and perfumed with a flavour that is similarly floral but with a certain bitterness.  For more on orris root, read Wikipedia.

Steenbergs Orris Root Powder is another specialist spice that Axel Steenberg has had great fun tracking down and is only sold to Steenbergs web customers, so is not available to trade customers.  For more information, why not call us on 01765 640 088 or email to enquiries@steenbergs.co.uk.