Sahlep

Sahlep arrives on Istanbul’s menu with winter and is announced loudly by vendors all over the city: ‘Sa-a-a-ahlepJ’ A hot, thick milk beverage flavoured with wild orchid powder, it is supposed to have fortifying and even aphrodisiac properties. It is difficult to track down outside of Turkey (for environmental reasons, as the exploitation of this wild plant has endangered the species to the point where it is now illegal to export it). You can, however, find ready-to-use sahlep mixes in Turk