EAT IN ASIA / Food destinations / Turkey - turkey food
What is Sahlep (Salep) and how to make it - recipe
Nothing is more warming during a cold winter day than a glass of a mulled wine or, if you are in Turkey, a cup of Sahlep.
Hearty, sweet and with a cinnamon flavor, Salep reminds you about the Christmas time and warms your body. Sipping a cup of it either in a restaurant, or from a paper take-away cup while strolling on Istanbul streets, Salep will give you a lot of pleasure and let feel like in a dream. Especially, when you buy your drink form a local seller preparing it just when you come, and selling it from the trolley.
Dressed in an old-fashioned way, with a traditional Turkish cap and red and golden jacket, the seller allows you to move in time. Everything is as it was years ago. Old buildings, old trolleys, so charismatic Salep guy and his Salep roll bar. All designed in the 19th or beginning of 20th century style. Decorated, with copper utensils, clean and stored in vintage jars or cans. A big, copper, traditional samovar with a small tap from which a snow-white drink comes makes you feel like someone really important that is served this unique drink. Like someone exceptional, that is specially treated and offered only the best quality products.
Salep is a thick, a little bit like a light pudding drink, that is creamy and delicate. It is soft, but with a slightly powdery texture. The color is something between ivory and ecru. And as the drink is sprinkled with grounded cinnamon, the top layer is slightly brownish. Salep is moderately sweet; it highly depends on the place you get it; but that sweetness is well-balanced and compensated by cinnamon’s subtle bitterness.
When you drink it, this thick drink goes smoothly through your throat. You can feel how it warms your whole body. Slowly, centimeter by centimeter, this warm drink, warms you from inside. It gives you a pleasant feeling, an extra energy, and a lot of will to walk and see more.
But, till now, you know so much about how to drink Salep, and still do not know what it is, am I right?
So to sooth your interest and give you some information what to expect, just a brief Salep intro. Salep, or sahlep or sahlab (depending on the spelling) is a powder, or better to say flour, obtained from orchids’ tuber.
During the Roman time, Salep and orchids were used as an aphrodisiac and their love power was famed in Ancient times. Later on, it was highly consumed both in the area of the Ottoman Empire and in some European countries like Germany and England. Salep was extremely popular till the moment coffee and tea were introduced, popularized and widely available.
While before Salep was mainly made with hot water, nowadays it is basing on hot milk and rarer just on water. In many local shops you can buy both an original Sahlep powder – orchids’ flour and a ready to use instant mix beverage. In the case of the first one, you will need much more ingredients to prepare the drink than in the second one. So, if you just have an orchids’ flour, you will need to add to your drink extra milk or water, sugar and cinnamon.
But, if you buy the mix, the only thing you have to add is either milk or water. Actually, that is true, if you prepare Salep from the scratch, you will never get it as you had it in Turkey. That is because most restaurants and street sellers, use this ready to drink mix. Of course, it has more extra ingredients like thickeners and synthetic aromas, but if you want to have it as you had it in Turkey, buy this instant one. You surely will not be disappointed.
How to make Salep at home?
As you have two options of preparing it, here you will find both recipes. So, depending on what you bought and have, jump to the proper recipe.
Instant Salep beverage recipe
What you need for one serving (200 ml cup):
- 200 ml milk (you can also use a coconut, almond, soy or any other milk) or water
- 2-3 teaspoons instant Salep mix
Instructions:
- Use a non-sticking pot if you prepare your drink basing on milk
- Pour 200 ml of water or milk into the pot
- Put the pot on fire and bring to boil, do not allow milk to stick to the bottom
- Add instant Salep and stir dynamically, do not allow it to crumble
- Boil and keep on fire till the drink thickens and gets a homogenous structure
- Fill your cup
- Sprinkle with additional cinnamon
- Enjoy and come back in your thoughts to Turkey!
Home-made Salep recipe
What you need for one serving (200 ml cup):
- 200 ml milk (you can also use a coconut, almond, soy or any other milk) +2 tablespoons milk for mixing Salep with sugar
- ½ - 1 teaspoons Salep powder
- ½ - 1 ½ teaspoons sugar (depending on your taste, start with smaller amounts and add more if necessary)
- grounded cinnamon for garnishing
Instructions:
- Use a non-sticking pot if you prepare your drink basing on milk
- Pour 200 ml of milk into the pot
- Put the pot on fire and bring to boil, do not allow milk to stick to the bottom
- In the same time mix Salep powder with sugar (start with ½ teaspoon of sugar and if needed, add more at the end)
- Add 2 tablespoons of warm milk to the Salep and sugar mixture, combine it well, so there is no lump in it
- When the pot with milk is boiling, reduce fire and add the mixture
- Stir dynamically, do not allow it to crumble
- Keep stirring on a lower fire until the whole drink thickens
- Fill your cup
- Sprinkle with additional cinnamon
- If needed add more sugar for a better taste
- Enjoy and come back in your thoughts to Turkey!
If not Sahlep, maybe a cup of a traditional Turkish coffee (Turkish coffee - how to make it and drink it?), herbal infusion or a glass of a Turkish tea served with some Turkish Delights (TOP 7 Turkish delights)?
Author: Beti – A passionate traveler and lover of Asian cuisine, especially Thai and Japanese dishes, Bernadeta brings her culinary and cultural experiences to life in her writing. Beyond her travels, she’s an avid technology enthusiast with a deep interest in data processing, merging her love for exploration with analytical insights.
Photographer: Adalbert – An aficionado of computers and photography, Adalbert captures the essence of diverse cuisines with a discerning eye. A connoisseur of rich flavors and particularly fond of meat-based dishes, he combines his technical skills with his passion for the culinary arts in every shot.
