Bakhoor and Why it is a great Gift
A renowned Arab Caliph once said: “If I were a merchant, I would only trade in Oud, so that if I did not make a profit, I would have profited from its sensational scent.”
Oud comes from trees found in India, Cambodia, Yemen, Thailand and Ethiopia. It is a certain fungal infection that comes from Aquilaria trees. The chips are initially pale and light in color; the heartwood turns dense and dark as a result of the growth of a dangerous mold.
Oud has a very strong and unique scent that is available in chips, which are lit and burned. The scented smoke is called “Bakhoor”. Oud is also available in an oil form, which is placed in small perfume bottles.
Bakhoor, the scented smoke, is made from placing the Oud chip on a bed of natural coal or lighted charcoal, which allows the wood to burn and puff the fragrance of the authentic Oud.
Traditionally in Saudi Arabia, when Oud is lit, the Oud burner is passed around from one person to another as part of Saudi hospitality. An old odd fact about Bakhoor is that when a host is tired of his visitors and wants them to leave, he/she would burn a chip of Oud and walk around the room. Guests would then know that this is a polite signal for them to leave.
As 100% Oud chips are very expensive and are beyond the reach of most people, Oud are usually mixed into an Oud paste by crushing Oud Wood and adding different scents from Oud Dehan and flower oils. The paste is then shaped into balls or woody grains. This paste gives a different smell than what a normal Oud chip would give and depending on the expertise of the Mabthouth maker, the scent can be heavenly with a different kind of Arabian scents all together. After all, pure Oud is no candy flossy experience and for unprepared amateurs, our smell senses may be profoundly rocked and thrown all over the place. From one extreme it may be woody to another extreme it may be musky to yet another extreme it can be ‘green’ and ‘spicy’ at the same time. Pure oud is quite an olfactory ride! Woody, pungent, a bit sweet, sour, dusty, musky and one word to sum it all – “animalistic”.
The Bakhoor and mixtures available at Pods & Petals Giftlab uses only natural materials. Our Arabian Oud Mabthouth uses musk, patchouli, oak, jasmine flower, rose flower, saffron, cedar, amber, bergamot, sandalwood and, of course, agarwood to give out an out of the world sensory experience. Learn more about the uses of Bakhoor and a step by step instruction on how to benefit from burning of Bakhoor at www.gift-lab.com
