Salep is a traditional Turkish drink that is made using the starch contained in the tubers of a couple of wild species of orchids found in Anatolia. In Turkey it is consumed very hot and therefore it is typical of winter, although its consumption is not as widespread as black tea.
If you have traveled to Turkey you have surely purchased envelopes containing freeze-dried salep. They are as popular with tourists as Turkish delight or black tea as a souvenir.
Salep is almost impossible to find outside of Turkey, so when the packets purchased at the airport run out there seems to be nothing to do but wait for the next trip to Istanbul.
Of course, finding salep in Turkey is also quite difficult. I will explain this. The two wild orchids from whose tubers the starch is extracted are in severe danger of extinction and have long since been replaced by substitutes that are sold in souvenir shops as if they were authentic. So probably the salep you've ever drunk has never been the real deal.
Orchid starch is a thickener and also contains a sweetener, so the two substitutes used are cornstarch and sugar, accompanied by vanilla (which by the way, is also extracted from another type of orchid. ) to give a flavor similar - not the same - as the original.
Nor do these types of orchids existed in many areas of the Middle East that were under the control of the Ottoman Empire and where the drink is traditional, so there have always been Arabic recipes that have directly used substitutes instead of the original ones.
In addition, the Arabs consume the drink - sahlab for them - both hot and cold since the areas where they live are not as cold as in Turkey. If you take it hot it is very comforting and if it is cold, refreshing like cold tea.
So if you have run out of salep bags, I am going to give you the Arabic recipe that will taste exactly the same - because it is surely the same one that you have tried - and that you can make with elements that you will easily find without traveling to the Middle East. Of course, if the lack of salep-sahlab is an excuse to undertake an exotic journey, I have not said anything.
INGREDIENTS (4 people)
- 1 liter (5 cups) of milk (better semi-skimmed)
- Half a cup of cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla stick, whatever you find)
- Cinnamon powder
- Pistachios
- Sugar (to taste)
In a large casserole, pour the milk and the vanilla stick (or the vanilla powder or extract thereof). Heat until it starts to smoke (avoid boiling) and then add the cornstarch and sugar. Stir constantly.
The sugar to add will depend on the taste of each one. If the diner adds a lump or a teaspoon of sugar to a glass of milk, four people will need 4 teaspoons of sugar. And you can also do without sugar or any other sweetener by letting it be whoever takes the cup that is served to her/his liking.
Do not stop stirring until it starts to boil. At that time lower the heat and keep the saucepan for a couple of minutes.
It is served very, very hot sprinkled on top with ground cinnamon and crumbled pistachios. But as I have already said in Arab countries where winters are mild and summers are very hot, it can also be served cold.
The cinnamon and pistachios that crown the drink are neither shaken nor dissolved in the drink, they are only there so that their aroma penetrates the nose and to consume them when we have already taken all the liquid.
