From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
Also orange blossom water. A liquid flavoring agent made from the blossoms of bitter oranges, such as the Seville orange. When the blossoms are distilled, they create neroli oil, which floats to the top of the mixture and is skimmed off; the remaining watery liquid is orange flower water. Orange flower water was widely used as a perfume in Europe, but became a common flavoring ingredient by the 17th century. It is still used today, both in perfumery and to flavor sweets, such as the pistachio-based Lebanese version of baklava.
