Pure Salep (Saleb), Wild Orchid Powder (for making Persian Ice Cream)

Salep (also spelled saleb, sahlab, or salepi) is a fine powder ground from the dried tuber roots of wild orchids, primarily Orchis mascula. It is wild-harvested from Eastern Europe, sourced from Greece or Albania depending on the lot.

🌿 Texture & Function

Salep is prized less for flavor and more for what it does to a mixture:

• Mild, faintly sweet, slightly earthy taste
• Contains natural mucilage that thickens liquids
• Creates a stretchy, elastic texture when heated

🍨 Where You'll Find It

Salep is the traditional base for two well-known frozen desserts:

• Turkish: Dondurma (stretchy ice cream)
• Persian: Bastani (saffron rose ice cream)
• Also used hot as a winter drink (sahlab) in Turkey and the Levant

🧂 How to Use It

A small amount goes a long way:

• Typical ratio: about 1 teaspoon per batch of ice cream (serves roughly 8)
• Blend into warm milk or cream base until it thickens
• Works alongside rose water and saffron in Bastani-style recipes

🎁 What's Included

Sold in a small tin, 3 tablespoons (9 teaspoons). Pure salep powder, wild-harvested, no additives.