Potpourri Originates From Castle Stench

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Potpourri Originates From Castle Stench

Monday, March 16th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Who doesn’t enjoy the glorious scents of potpourri gifts in the workplace or at home, which give us that little bit of luxury. But were you aware that it was once necessary for everyday life?

Castles are the source of the need for potpourri. Castles were originally designed with small windows in order to prevent objects, like arrows and stones, from entering into the castle. The narrow windows would trap in the damp air and create a very musty and unpleasant odor. It wouldn’t take long for most castles to smell very bad.

To hide the nasty smell of the castle, many inhabitants began using scented plants to make the air much more palatable. Were they to not do so, then the castle would begin to smell horrible and make living in one very tough. The inhabitants constantly had to clean up the potpourri because the oils would evaporate and the herbs would begin to rot and add to the bad smells.

Usually, castles had a room in the bottom that was used to create potpourri. It was in this room that very large containers were used to mix herbs and spices with several cups of brandy and other alcoholic liquids. These potpourri mixtures usually gave off glorious smells. Seasonal demand for certain fragrances was extremely common. Several mixing containers would age like a fine wine before the creator would judge it ready for use.

To cover up the nasty smell of the castle, many rooms and locations were selected to have the appropriately created potpourri deposited. With occasional refreshing, it was not unusual for some potpourri mixtures to last for many years, or even over a decade. Added alcohol was all that was needed to help the longevity of the potpourri because it aided in the evaporation of the scent into the air. Usually, the potpourri would be capped at night to help preserve the scent.

If you are interested in making potpourri, then search for free potpourri gift catalogs or just potpourri catalogs.