The roses of Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain) bloom for only 15 days each spring but their rosewater is famous throughout Oman. It is used in cooking and traditionally sprinkled on guests as a gesture of honour at the end of a meal. The petals are put in a clay pot called a borma with a metal bowl on top of them. A second bowl containing cold water covers the opening. When a fire is lit under the borma, steam rises inside, hits the metal lid and condenses back as rosewater into the smaller bowl