Salep is a Turkish drink made from orchid roots, traditionally used in hot drinks and desserts. Due to concerns over Turkey’s orchid population, it can be difficult to find proper sales outside the country. The roots contain a special starch that gives salep a unique texture and delicate flavor. It has historically been used as an aphrodisiac. Today, salep or versions made with artificial flavors can be found in communities with large Turkish populations.
Salep is a Turkish drink made from the roots of several species of orchids. The term can refer to both the roots themselves and a drink made from them. Today, due to concerns over Turkey’s orchid population, it can be difficult to find proper sales outside the country, as the nation has severely curtailed exports. As a result, artificially flavored beverages are commonly available in places where people have a taste for this distinctive product.
Both Orchis mascula and O. militaris are used to make salep; the name derives from the Arabic sahlap, which means “orchid”. These roots contain a special starch that gives salep a unique texture and delicate flavor. Traditionally, the roots are ground up and sold in powdered form, with cooks adding the powder to hot drinks, desserts, and sometimes even ice cream.
Classically, salep is offered as a winter drink, made from the power of milk, sugar and spices. Regular salep has a very mild and slightly creamy flavor, while the spiced versions are a bit more exciting. The powder can also be included in ice creams and sherbets for warm-weather consumption; classically, frozen desserts made with it are chewy, rather than creamy, thanks to the powder’s thickening properties.
Since the roots of the orchids used for sale have a rather suggestive shape, this food has historically been used as an aphrodisiac. According to the principles of sympathetic medicine, doctors would also recommend it to men who have had problems with fertility or virility, in the belief that consuming objects resembling testicles would confer the properties of healthy testicles.
In the 1600s, a general fascination with the Orient led to a brief fashion for sale in England and other parts of Europe. Typically, orange or rose water was used to flavor the drink in English cafes, and sometimes other orchid species were also used. Today, salep or versions made with artificial flavors can be found in communities with large Turkish populations. People traveling to Turkey may want to take advantage of the trip to get real powder, as it is truly a unique experience.
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