From an underground orchid tuber to hot milk and cinnamon: a thick, warming drink with centuries of history
Sahlep, or salep, is a flour made by drying and grinding the underground tubers of certain wild orchids, and the hot drink of the same name is prepared by cooking that flour with milk. A substance in the tubers called glucomannan gives the drink its distinctive thick, silky body, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top makes it one of the most familiar tastes of winter in Türkiye. Below we explain which plant salep comes from, how it becomes a powder, its long history, and why it is a natural resource that needs protecting.
What Is Salep? A Flour Made from Orchid Tubers
Turkish and English Wikipedia both define salep as a flour made from the tubers of orchids in the genus Orchis, chiefly Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris. A 2021 report on salep processing in Kastamonu, prepared by the North Anatolian Development Agency under the coordination of Türkiye's Ministry of Industry and Technology, adds that in Anatolia "salep" is also a general name for orchid species themselves.
The thickness salep brings to a drink comes from the tuber itself. The same report names glucomannan as the most important substance in the tuber, alongside mucilage, starch, sugar and nitrogenous compounds. English Wikipedia notes that glucomannan gives salep its emulsifying and thickening properties, which is why it thickens as it heats with milk.
Two Tubers Underground: From Harvest to Powder
According to the development agency report, each salep plant has two tubers at its root. One is the main tuber that feeds this year's stem; the other is a large, glossy daughter tuber that will feed the plant next year. It is the daughter tubers that are gathered, by hand, usually in May and June once the plant has flowered.
- Washing: The harvested tubers are washed first.
- Boiling: They are boiled in water or milk.
- Drying: The boiled tubers are left to dry.
- Grinding: The dried tubers are pounded or ground into powder.
A great deal is lost along the way. The report states that fresh tubers lose 80 to 85 percent of their weight when dried, so 1 kilogram of fresh tubers yields only about 200 grams of dry salep. English Wikipedia puts it another way: it takes 1,000 to 4,000 tubers to make a kilogram of flour. That effort and yield explain why genuine salep is a precious, costly product.
A Name with a Story, and a Drink with a Long Past
The word salep comes from the Arabic saḥlab. Turkish and English Wikipedia relate that it may be a shortening of ḵuṣā aṯ-ṯaʕlab, meaning "fox's testicles", a reference to the shape of the orchid tubers. The word passed through Turkish and French before reaching English in the mid-18th century.
Making drinks from orchid tubers is an ancient practice. Wikipedia records that the ancient Greeks and Romans prepared drinks from ground orchid tubers. Citing Kasparek (1999), the development agency report says salep has been consumed in Anatolia since the 8th century. Widely drunk in Ottoman times, salep also travelled to Europe: in 17th and 18th century England it was popular as "saloop" before coffee and tea took over. English Wikipedia describes saloop as made with water and sweetened with orange flower or rose water, and the report notes that it was served with bread and butter in dedicated salep shops.
From Kahramanmaraş to Akdağmadeni: Türkiye's Salep Regions
The development agency report says the salep plant grows naturally in almost every part of Türkiye. Citing Baytop (1999), it lists the salep of Muğla, Kahramanmaraş and Kastamonu as the most valued commercial types, and notes that the salep of the Kastamonu area comes mainly from Orchis mascula and Orchis purpurea. According to Turkish Wikipedia, Kahramanmaraş is home to twenty-five orchid species from nine genera, and the region's famous pounded Maraş ice cream is made with locally grown salep.
Regional salep is also protected by geographical indication. TRT Haber reported on 19 October 2021 that the salep of Akdağmadeni, a district of Yozgat province, had received a designation of origin certificate from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, held by the Akdağmadeni Municipality.
Protecting Wild Orchids: Export Bans and a Limited Resource
Because salep comes from orchids gathered in the wild, conservation matters. Turkish Wikipedia notes that rising demand has put wild orchid species at risk of local extinction in Greece, Türkiye and Iran. Türkiye has restricted the trade for decades. According to the development agency report, salep species were added to the list of export products requiring a license in 1974; a communiqué issued under the regulation published in the Official Gazette of 9 October 1991 banned orchid exports entirely; and a 1998 communiqué banned the export of salep in powder, tablet or any other form.
That line continues today. Anadolu Agency reported on 27 December 2019 that, under a communiqué from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the export of tubers and drugs from species of the Orchidaceae family in powder, tablet or any form is banned from 2020 onward. English Wikipedia also points out that, because orchids are scarce, many commercial salep mixes use corn starch or rice flour instead of genuine salep. The report adds that salep can be cultivated in climates similar to the ones it was gathered from.
How to Drink Salep: Hot Milk, Cinnamon and Slow Sips
As English Wikipedia describes, salep today is made with hot milk rather than water and finished with cinnamon. Thanks to glucomannan, the milk thickens as it heats, so salep is a slow, velvety and filling drink. It is served very hot, so there is no need to rush the first sip; give yourself time to enjoy the texture and the scent of cinnamon.
Salep is not only for the cup. The development agency report notes that the food industry uses it as a thickener, above all in ice cream, where it helps raise the melting point. Wikipedia adds that besides ice cream it also appears in desserts such as salep pudding.
Salep on a Winter Day in Cappadocia
At Bozacının Yeri in Ortahisar, sahlep sits in the hot drinks section of the menu, which describes it as made by cooking milk with flour from the tuber of the salep orchid and sprinkled with cinnamon. For another warm, milky option, the menu also offers hot chocolate. In the winter season, hot chestnuts join the menu, a familiar snack alongside a cup of salep on a cold Cappadocian day.
Sources: North Anatolian Development Agency, Kastamonu Province Salep Processing Pre-Feasibility Report (Ministry of Industry and Technology Investment Support portal, 2021); Anadolu Agency; TRT Haber; Akdağmadeni Municipality; Wikipedia (Turkish and English).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which plant does salep come from?
Salep comes from the underground tubers of orchids in the genus Orchis, chiefly Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris. The tubers are boiled, dried and ground into powder.
What makes salep thick?
The key component of the salep tuber is glucomannan, which gives it thickening and emulsifying properties. That is why salep thickens when it is heated with milk.
How many tubers does it take to make a kilo of salep?
According to English Wikipedia, 1,000 to 4,000 tubers are needed for a kilogram of salep flour. The North Anatolian Development Agency report notes that 1 kilogram of fresh tubers yields about 200 grams of dry salep.
Why is exporting salep banned in Türkiye?
Salep is made from wild orchids, so to protect these species Türkiye bans the export of orchid tubers and salep in any form. A Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry communiqué has kept the ban in place from 2020 onward.
How do you drink salep?
Salep is cooked with hot milk, sprinkled with cinnamon and drunk hot. Because it is thick, it is best sipped slowly.
