The Perfume Route - Oriental Plants and Fragrances Course

Curso A rota dos perfumes - plantas e fragrâncias orientais

Workshops & talks 45€

Saturday 31 October · 14:00

Workshop on the perfume route, exploring oriental plants and fragrances with Luís Mendonça de Carvalho, covering history, extraction techniques and sampling of essences.

Brief Introduction THE ROUTE OF PERFUMES, ORIENTAL PLANTS AND FRAGRANCES With Luís Mendonça de Carvalho DATE | Saturday | 31 October TIME | 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM PARTICIPANTS | Min. 14 Max. 25 PRICE | €45 Programme The programme of this workshop explores perfume as a form of cultural language deeply rooted in the relationship between humans and the plant world. Plants emerge as protagonists, both for their physiology, which produces aromatic compounds, and for their symbolic and historical role. 1. Perfume as cultural language Perfume constitutes a form of symbolic and culturally coded expression, resulting from the interaction between plant physiology, technique and human sensibility. In the East, perfumes have a long and ancient history in rituals and medicine, acting as mediators between the body and the sacred, as well as for personal use. 2. Historical synthesis From the aromatic resins burned in the temples of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the distillations made by the Arabs, the history of perfume reflects the circulation of aromatic raw materials through the trade routes of the East. India, Arabia and Southeast Asia were centres of domestication and export of fragrant plants that shaped Greek, Roman and, later, European perfumery. From the 18th century onwards, the European perfume industry began to centre around the French city of Grasse, which to this day remains a world reference in perfume manufacturing. 3. Olfactory families and sensory classification Introduction to the olfactory families used in perfumery (woody, floral, citrus, fougère, chypre, oriental, etc.). 4. Traditional extraction techniques Brief history of the techniques for obtaining aromatic compounds: (1) enfleurage and absorption of volatile compounds in solid fat; (2) steam distillation, with thermal separation of essential oils from plant tissues; (3) solvent distillation; (4) maceration and diffusion of aromatic principles in oils or alcohol. 5. Secretory structures and secondary metabolism of plants Aromatic substances derive from plant secondary metabolism and are produced in specialised secretory structures, glandular trichomes, resin canals, secretory pockets and oil cells, located in leaves, petals, barks and rhizomes. These volatile compounds perform ecological functions (attraction of pollinators, defence against herbivores and microorganisms) and constitute the natural basis of perfumery. 6. Raw materials of plant and animal origin Aromatic resins and woods (frankincense/olibanum, myrrh, Siam benzoin, Sumatra benzoin, sandalwood, storax, agarwood, vetiver); fragrant flowers and leaves (jasmine, damask rose, ylang-ylang, osmanthus, neroli, gardenia, patchouli); spices (galbanum, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper); raw materials of animal origin (ambergris, civet, musk). During the workshop, participants will be able to try essences extracted from all the raw materials studied. 7. Bibliography Supporting bibliography will be provided, intended to consolidate the topics covered and deepen the study. Luís Mendonça de Carvalho Biologist (UTAD), master's in plant biochemistry (University of Lisbon), PhD in systematics and