Seller of Salep in the center of Ankara, December 2007.
The salep is a drink made of orchid root in powder called salep, which lends its name to the drink. It is a hot drink very common in Turkey during the winter, like the boza, another drink made with bulgur.
The popularity of salep extended from Turkey and the Middle East to England and Germany before the coming of coffee and tea, and later remained as an alternative beverage.
The Romans used the orchid roots to produce some beverages considered a powerful aphrodisiac.
In Turkey there are desserts made with salep and also ice creams. The Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş is the biggest salep producer and the delicious Kahramanmaraş ice creams are famous throughout Turkey.
The popularity of salep in Turkey led to the decrease in the amount of wild orchids in the country. As a result, it is illegal to export salep. Also due to this fact, there are many instant mixtures for sale to make salep drink with artificial aroma.
Makes 1 serving
1 cup milk * 1 tsp salep * cinnamon powder * sugar
Mix the salep and the milk very well until boiling. Add sugar to taste and sprinkle with cinnamon. Drink hot.
Note: In Turkey, the genuine salep powder can be found for sale in herbalists (Lokman Hekim). The instant preparations are sold in any supermarket.
The popularity of salep extended from Turkey and the Middle East to England and Germany before the coming of coffee and tea, and later remained as an alternative beverage.
The Romans used the orchid roots to produce some beverages considered a powerful aphrodisiac.
In Turkey there are desserts made with salep and also ice creams. The Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş is the biggest salep producer and the delicious Kahramanmaraş ice creams are famous throughout Turkey.
The popularity of salep in Turkey led to the decrease in the amount of wild orchids in the country. As a result, it is illegal to export salep. Also due to this fact, there are many instant mixtures for sale to make salep drink with artificial aroma.
Makes 1 serving
1 cup milk * 1 tsp salep * cinnamon powder * sugar
Mix the salep and the milk very well until boiling. Add sugar to taste and sprinkle with cinnamon. Drink hot.
Note: In Turkey, the genuine salep powder can be found for sale in herbalists (Lokman Hekim). The instant preparations are sold in any supermarket.
1 comment:
Salep is one of my favourite drink in winter as well. I tasted 1st time when my Turkish friend brought me a pack.
Is there any chance to buy genuine Salep from Lokman Hekim online or any other online Turkish food suppliers?
Since the wild orchids are endangered from human consumption, why there's no effort of replanting the wild orchids in controlled farms? It may take years for the plant to mature but at least the wild ones are left alone to grow in their natural environment. It would be sad to see another species disappeared from earth... :-(
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