Kewra, keora or kewda (, , , ਕੇਵੜਾ ) is an

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

distilled from the male flower of the fragrant screwpine. The plant is native to Tropical Asia,

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

and

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, and the oil is used as a flavoring agent throughout much of these regions. The flower is a vital ingredient in Kewra and is used in special-occasion dishes in South Asia, particularly those associated with Muslim communities. Kewra flowers have a sweet, perfumed odour with a pleasant quality similar to rose flowers, but kewra is more fruity. The aqueous distillate (kewra water, pandanus flower water) is quite diluted.. Kewra flowers and leaves are also essential in worship of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

goddess Manasa, who is worshipped by certain communities. Approximately 95% of kewra flowers exported from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

are collected from areas surrounding Berhampur city in

Ganjam district Ganjam is a district in the Indian state of Odisha. Ganjam's total area is 8,206 km² (3,168 mi²). The district headquarters is Chhatrapur. Ganjam is divided into three sub-divisions: Chhatrapur, Berhampur, and Bhanjanagar. As of ...

. The coastal areas of Chhatrapur, Rangeilunda, Patrapur, and Chikiti are famous for their aromatic pandanus plantations. Arguably, flowers from coastal locales have an exquisite floral note that rival inland varieties with the most famous varieties being those endemic and cultivated in Gopalpur-on-Sea. Cultivation of kewra flower is a major source of income in Ganjam district and there are nearly 200 registered kewra distillation factories. Kewra is also used in traditional Indian perfumery, both as functional fragrance and in attar.

Chemical composition: abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by water distillation of the staminate inflorescences of Kewda ('' Pandanus odorifer''. var. ''fasicularis''). The major components of kewda oil were found to be 2-phenethyl methyl ether (65.6–75.4%), Terpinen-4-ol (11.7–19.5%), p-Cymene (1.0–3.1%) and Alpha Terpineol (1.2–2.9%)

References

{{Reflist Bangladeshi cuisine Indian cuisine Pakistani cuisine Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Pandanus

Chemical composition: abstract

See also

References