Salep or sahlab is a hot creamy drink that warms you up in winter. It is made with milk, sugar and salep powder and topped with cinnamon. It is everyone's all time favorite hot milk drink on a cold winter day in Turkey.
Just like Turkish coffee, salep is a very popular hot drink in Turkey. It is one of the most fascinating drinks around the world. So rich, creamy and milky that both kids and adults LOVE it like crazy! It is served with cinnamon powder on the top. And everyone loves it at first sip.
When we are out on cold days of winter, we love to have either Turkish Boza Drink (a pudding-like Turkish drink made from fermented grains) or salep. Although boza is not served hot, it's a winter treat too. On the other hand, salep warms both your body and your heart. You just fall in love with its aromatic and floral scent.
The unique flavor and creamy texture of salep drink come from salep powder. It is a rare and precious ingredient, so let's learn more about it before making this hot milk drink recipe.
What Is Salep Powder?
You might be surprised but salep powder is produced from the bulbs of some species of orchid family. You know that beautiful and fragile flower, right? Have you ever thought that it has other uses in addition to its majestic beauty?
Wild orchids which are suitable for salep production are grown in the area of Kahramanmaraş, in the south east of Turkey. These orchids have a unique structure. Their root consists of two bulbs side by side. They are shaped like an egg. The bigger bulb feeds the flower while the smaller one works as the spare bulb which will take the responsibility of feeding the flower the following year.
Although salep can be produced from both bulbs, producers pick just the spare ones not to cause the flower to become extinct. When the spare one is picked, the bigger bulb starts to generate a new small bulb. The flower survives this way. Fascinating, isn't it?
After the orchid tubers (bulbs) are picked, they are washed and boiled in water or milk. Then they are dried in the open air. The bulbs are pounded when they are totally dried. As a result, you have the most amazing ingredient in the world: Salep powder or salep flour.
This powder coming from orchid bulbs naturally includes starch and mucilage, which has a sticky characteristic. These together help the milk get thicker while making this Turkish hot milk drink, which is also known as the same name, salep.
Pure salep powder is not only used in this hot milk cinnamon drink, but it is also used in unique Turkish strechy ice cream dondurma.
How & Where To Buy
You can find it at any spice shop in Turkey. Come visit Turkey to find genuine sahlep powder! Outside Turkey, you can search for it at Middle Eastern markets. Also, it might be found in online shops selling products from Greece and Egypt.
But it might be a real challenge to find authentic salep powder due to its high price. It is a bit expensive and that's how you can understand that it’s genuine. If a kilo of it is cheaper than 2000 Turkish Lira/ $115 (in the year 2022), it’s not genuine.
But don’t worry, you don’t need to buy a kilo. Just 10-20 grams will be enough for you because you’ll use just 1 tablespoon of salep to make this cinnamon and hot milk drink recipe.
What Is Salep Drink?
It is a comforting drink made with milk, sugar and ground orchid tubers known as salep powder. It is always served with cinnamon powder on the top. This creamy and rich drink is called salep or sahlep in Turkey and known as sahlab in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also popular in Greece, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Bulgaria.
Salep has been a part of Turkish culture since the 8th century, when most of Turks started to accept Islam as their religion. As alcohol is banned in this religion, they were in search of alternative drinks to keep them warm during winter. This is how salep became popular in Turkish culture.
Authentic salep recipe has to be made with pure salep powder. It is the ingredient that gives this hot milk drink the creamy texture. In Turkey, there are street vendors selling sahlep during winter months and the same vendors sell Turkish ice cream in summer.
It is easy to make at home, but takes time. So Turks often prefer enjoying sahlep drink at cafes or buying it from vendors on the street.
You don't feel like making it from scratch? There is also an instant salep drink version that is sold in sachets at markets in Turkey. The most famous brands are Nestle, Dr Oetker and Kahve Dunyasi. Instant salep is easier to find at markets in Turkey. You just pour a sachet in a mug and pour hot water or milk over it. So it is of course easier to make.
On the other hand, although the taste is not too bad, you should know that this instant version is not the real thing. The amount of salep powder in the sachets is too little and it has a mixture of other types of thickeners like cornstarch (or cornflour), glutinous rice flour and milk powder.
How To Make
- Combine milk, sugar and salep powder in a large saucepan or thick-bottomed pot. Whisk them well.
- Heat it over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and let it simmer. Stir frequently while it is simmering until it thickens and reaches to a pudding-like consistency. Don't rush. This might take 15- 20 minutes or longer, but it is worth it.
- Remove from the heat and serve it in cups or mugs with some ground cinnamon on it.
- Optionally, you can garnish it with pistachios or other nuts as well.
- You can serve it with buttery melting moments cookies on the side.
Expert Tips
- Use full-fat milk for the best result.
- Cook your salep drink in a thick-bottomed pan. Otherwise, it might burn at the bottom.
- Don't try to speed up the process. Making salep requires some time (and patience). If you try to cook it over medium or high heat, there will be lumps and you won't get that nice creamy consistency.
- The thickness of salep is a matter of preference. Traditionally, it is supposed to be as thick as hot chocolate. You know, thick but drinkable. So after 15 minutes, check the consistency. If you are happy with it, remove it from the heat. If you want it thicker, keep cooking.
- Be careful when drinking it, it shouldn't be piping hot.
- For a plant-based alternative, you can use almond milk or coconut milk.
- You can add extra flavors like orange blossom water or vanilla right before removing it from the heat.
Health Benefits
Besides its yummy taste and magical scent, this unique drink also has several benefits to health. The most well known benefit of it is that it has a curative effect on cough, bronchitis and cold. That’s why it’s mostly consumed in winter. In addition, it is said that it cures constipation and strengthens heart and mental powers.
Frequently Asked Questions
As it is a hot drink, be careful and make sure it is not piping hot. It is always served with cinnamon powder on it. You can drink it in the same way you drink hot chocolate. You can stir it with a dessert spoon between a few sips and even have a spoonful of it.
It is not an illegal product. The population of wild orchids has declined in Turkey, so it is banned to export the powder of orchid tubers out of the country.
As it is an instant salep, no need to cook it. Pour a sachet of Nestle salep in a mug. Pour hot milk over it and give it a good stir until the powder dissolves. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on it and enjoy.
Other Hot Turkish Drinks
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📖 Recipe
Salep Drink (Cinnamon and Warm Milk)
A creamy hot milk drink with an amazing flavor that is wonderfully soothing. It is made with salep powder, sugar and milk.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salep powder
- 1 and ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 liter milk
- Cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- Combine milk, sugar and salep powder in a large saucepan or thick-bottomed pot. Whisk them well.
- Heat it over medium low heat, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat when the milk starts to boil. Keep stirring while it is simmering until it thickens. Don't rush. This might take 15- 20 minutes or longer, but it is worth it.
- Remove from the heat and serve it in cups or mugs with some ground cinnamon on it.
- Optionally, you can garnish it with pistachios or other nuts as well.
- Taste and adjust its sweetness. You can add extra sugar if you like it sweeter.
- You can put the leftovers in a bottle or jar and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. When you crave for salep again, you can re-heat some.
Notes
- Use full-fat milk for the best result.
- Cook your salep drink in a thick-bottomed pan. Otherwise, it might burn at the bottom.
- Don't try to speed up the process. Making salep requires some time (and patience). If you try to cook it over medium or high heat, there will be lumps and you won't get that nice creamy consistency.
- The thickness of salep is a matter of preference. Traditionally, it is supposed to be as thick as hot chocolate. You know, thick but drinkable. So after 15 minutes, check the consistency. If you are happy with it, remove it from the heat. If you want it thicker, keep cooking.
- Be careful when drinking it, it shouldn't be piping hot.
- For a plant-based alternative, you can use almond milk or coconut milk.
- You can add extra flavors like orange blossom water or vanilla right before removing it from the heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 179
- Sugar: 16.2 g
- Sodium: 111.1 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 25.8 mg
Keywords: salep, hot milk and cinnamon, sahlep
Gayle says
Could you clarify on the starch for this recipe- corn starch, potato starch?? Do people sometimes add ginger as well?
I'm really happy I found your website. It encourages me to keep trying new recipes and now that we're living in Turkey, I am learning more local dishes to use what is readily available (on the sebzeci's wagon :-)). I will be sure to tell my children about the two orchid bulbs next time we drink this! Thank you.
Zerrin says
Gayle, I used corn starch, and for ginger, it might add a nice flavor. Why not? Glad to hear you love my recipes. And yes, you can always find cheaper and better fruit or vegetable on sebzeci's wagon!
Alisa says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I just got back from Istanbul where they served Salep everyday in the lobby of our hotel. How could you not fall in love? I found the PURE 🙂 powder at the spice market and am excited to try it out.
Zerrin says
It's awesome if you have the pure salep powder! The smell when boiling is absolutely inspiring!
James says
Hi everyone, I first found Salep in Albania too. Here is the UK you get get it from eBay, but try lots of spellings, eg Sahlep, Sahleb, Salep etc.
★★★★★
Mely(mexicoinmykitchen) says
Amazing! Zerrin, This drink looks just like our Mexican Drink Atole, me make it using different types of flours.
I will have to look for the Salep flour to try this drink. I have a post in my blog about our Atole drink, I hope you visit it t check how similar the drinks are.
Mely
Zerrin says
Wow! Even the presentation of your Atole looks so similar to salep's! Bet it is as yummy!
Helen says
Hi,
I just got back from Istanbul,, and this sahlep is the one thing I had to bring back with me. After sampling it at “Turkbucks”, where they serve it in a very large mug and with a frothy surface, I was sold.
I found it in the the Turkish market. I bought one package of Instant, because it was more reasonable and simple to make. You can just add some boiling water or half water & half milk. I also bought a small amount of the powdered stronger version that needs to be boiled as directed in the recipe. However, extra starch was not called for, so they may have added that already to it. It is amazing! I found your recipe as I was looking for variations on how to prepare and flavor it. It is good just by itself, but its always fun to try a variety of garnishes, like chocolate or nutmeg. I also bought some Turkish Delight to go with it. That is another recipe to be attained. Thanks for your detailed information about how the sahlep is extracted from the secondary orchid bulb. I knew that it was from ground orchid seeds, but not exactly how they did it.. Blessings to all that enjoy this bit of Heaven. Helen.
PS. I did wonder about the calorie count. I also hope that someone into plants is figuring out how to grow these orchids enough to both maintain and protect the plants and the ability to harvest this amazing drink from it.
Zerrin says
Salep has such an outstanding flavor that you become addicted after the first try. The instant ones are absolutely more practical, but not as tasty as the original one. Turkish delights sound perfect with this yummy warming drink. They make a perfect couple!
As for its calorie, I have no idea. It's so tasty, so who cares?
Alenka says
I am in Istanbul right now and yesterday I first tasted sahlep. Well, it's soft and creamy and the taste itself is so warm and kind and welcoming - it's just like all the momm's love is in it.. I will try to find it today and take some with me. Thank you for the recipe!
Zerrin says
It has mom's love in it. Love your description!
SharonB. says
I just returned from Isreal, and while there had an opportunity to try Salep. The vendor gave me a sample taste, as my friends explained that I was from the States and had never had it before. I instantly fell in love with it, and went back for more later that same day.
Very much looking forward to trying this recipe. Just hope it's as good as I had over there.
Cajun Chef Ryan says
Learn something new every day, I have never tried nor ever heard of Salep, but it sounds like an ingredient I would love to sample.
Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
Marla says
Salep sounds wonderful, I have never heard of it but would be tempted to try it!
Bill C. says
It should be drunk while eating a warm, ring-shaped, pretzel-like sesame roll. It is delicious, and the most warming food I have ever tasted ... it was the only thing that allowed me to survive several weeks of winter in Turkey.
trilingual1946 says
I tried commercial salep powder. It's available on Amazon as "sahleb" which is the transliteration from Arabic. You can make it a cup at a time: 1 tsp. of sahleb powder mixed with 1 tbsp. of cold milk. Bring a cup of milk to a boil, add a few tbsps. of the hot milk to the sahleb powder mixture, then pour the mixture into the hot milk. Return to the boil, stirring. Add sugar (I used Splenda and it tasted great) and 1 tsp. rosewater. You can do this in the microwave -- I used a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup to hold the sahleb. Just be careful to watch the milk so it doesn't boil over. You may have to start and stop the microwave several times. Stir each time you stop the microwave. The end result is a slightly thickened hot milk with a subtle flavor that makes a great before-bedtime drink! If you like, add a dash of cinnamon, or some finely chopped walnuts or pistachios as a topping, and enjoy! Be aware, though, that the flavor of the commercial product is pretty subtle. You might get the same results just using cornstarch to thicken the hot milk, flavored with rose water, and it's much less expensive! Using pure sahleb might make a difference in the flavor. But the plant has apparently been hunted to near-extinction in much of the Middle East, which is why the pure sahleb is so expensive now.
Jescel says
how interesting. never heard of a drink that came from orchid before. i would really love to taste this.. thanks for sharing.
mira212 says
oh wow! nice.. really love this.. hehe.. yummie!!!
Andrea says
I love salep! I used to have it all the time when I was in Turkey in college. Thanks for the memories and the recipe!
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
This sounds like such a delicious drink! I wonder if I can find salep in my store.
Donna says
I love the sound of this recipe. It looks so pretty, too. I really enjoy the layout of your blog!!