Oud

Oud (or oudh) refers to two related things: a pear shaped, fretless string instrument popular in Middle Eastern music, and a dark, fragrant resin from agarwood trees, used as a highly prized, expensive ingredient in perfumery for its deep, woody, and sometimes animalic scent. The wood forms when Aquilaria trees get infected by a mold, producing a rich, dark resin known as agarwood, which yields the precious oud oil, often called "liquid gold".