Salep!

Let me tell you about my new obsession.

It all began in Egypt, when I tried my friend Mark's saleb, a warm, creamy and sweet milk drink. It was so fabulous that I had to try the Turkish version once I got back home, so I organized a posse of my sophomore girls to go try it with me. We went and found a local vendor and sat outside his little shop and drank the salep (as it is spelled in Turkey) while we shivered in the cold. It was perfect.

What is salep, you ask? Well, salep is made from salep four, which--ready for this?--is made from orchids! I had no idea! (See the botanical picture below.) Anyway, they dry out the orchid tuber and use the flour. For the foodie geeks out there, salep flour apparently has some nutritious starch-like polysaccharides--plus the guy at the stand told us it helps with lactation. (I'm glad there were Turkish women there to translate--the body gestures would have been interesting for that one.)

Some folks also say that the name salep comes from an Arabic expression ḥasyu al-tha`lab, which translates to "fox testicles"--a great way to explain the appearance of the orchid tubers. And the word orchid in Greek--get ready for some more news--also means...testicles! So of course salep is also considered an aphrodisiac. I am going to try asking for fox testicle milk next time and see what happens.


Salep is made by adding water to the salep flour, and then adding milk and sugar. The result is a thick drink with the consistency of warm milk thickened with cornstarch, with cinnamon (optional) added on top. Or maybe it's more like warm, slightly thin, vanilla pudding. Apparently there is also a salep pudding and salep ice cream made from the powder.


There is a downside though...the popularity of salep has led to a serious decline in the population of wild orchids, and it's now illegal to export true salep out of the country. Why is everything yummy bad for the planet?? Anyway, I had better enjoy it while I can...even if it makes me feel a little guilty.

You can see me and the girls here outside the shop. I have to admit it: I've been to several cafes around town to compare the best...I'm still not sure who wins.