Sahlab—Salep

Name: Sahlab—Salep
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons pulverized sahlab or 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 4 cups milk; 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste; 2 teaspoons rose or orange-blossom water (optional); 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios; Ground cinnamon

December 9, 2011

This wonderful, heartwarming winter drink is hot milk thickened with the starchy ground bulb of an orchid called Orchis mascula. This was sold by street vendors from the large copper urn in which it was made. The stone-colored powder called sahlab (salep in Turkish and Greek) is expensive and not easy to find. I have often bought it in Middle Eastern markets only to discover that it was a fake or adulterated mix. Cornstarch is an alternative which gives a creamy texture but not the same special flavor.

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