Orchid drink - Sahlep

[Royal]

Anybody ever try Sahlep? It's a Turkish drink made from the starchy tubers of several members of the genus Orchis. It has a thickening effect on water, making kind of a hot chocolate consistency. It's often flavored with rose water or other ancient sweeteners. Some believe it is an aphrodisiac.

A friend of mine brought some back from his last trip to Turkey and shared some with me. Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know.

[kavanaru]

the reason why some people consider it as aphrodisiac is because of the similrity of Orchis tubers with testicules. Actually, this drink is in most cases produced with maize or rice starch, as teh orchid product is rare and protected (Orchis maculata is endangered and protected all over Europe). The orchid starch (and/or maize/rice starch) actually do not add any particular taste to the drink or to the sweet (Loukouma - also popular in Greece). They just taste like the flavouring added, which is normally rose water...

I have tried both the drink and the sweet, and yes, they are very sweet... but for my taste, nothing special... I have to add here that I have tried Sahlep in Germany (very large turkish colony) and was made with starch other than orchids (prohibited in Germany otherwise!).. as for Loukouma, I have eaten it in Athens, and can therefore not ensure what it was made out of.. but for the price I paid, it must have been maize or rice it's very very cheap! LOL