Is salep gluten and dairy free?

Salep (aka sahlep, sahlab, sachlav) is a type of flour made from the dried root tubers of a specific kind of orchid. It’s used to make the chewy Turkish ice cream called Maraş dondurma. Salep is also a key ingredient in its namesake drink. In this article, we’re investigating the drink’s ingredients. The drink called salep is rich, thick, and warming, with a very subtle taste of orchid root.

Salep originated in the Ottoman empire and actually used to be more widespread (as far as the UK!) back when coffee and tea were more expensive. Now it’s mostly consumed in the Middle East and some areas of the Balkans. It’s most popular in Turkey, where it’s served as a warming drink in the winter months.

It is traditionally gluten free, but modern mixes may contain gluten. Salep is usually made with milk, and almost all instant mixes contain powdered milk. But you can very easily make salep both gf and vegan at home.

What are the ingredients in salep?

Traditionally, salep was made with only a few simple ingredients:

• Salep powder made from dried orchid roots

• Sugar

• Milk or water

• Optional rosewater or orange blossom water

• Optional cinnamon, ginger, or pistachio for garnish

So why wouldn’t salep always be gluten free?

Due to over-harvesting of the orchid root tubers, Turkey has made it illegal to export salep powder. While there’s still smuggling of salep to other countries, as well as a push to harvest it elsewhere, it can be difficult to find actual salep powder outside Turkey or Greece. Because of this and the high price of real salep, most shops now serve an instant version that uses alternative ingredients for thickening the drink. This can theoretically include wheat flour, although it’s usually corn starch. The instant drink mix also contains dried milk, and should be skipped if you avoid dairy products.

I’ve personally been glutened by salep made with a mix, but perhaps this can just be put down to unlucky cross-contamination. Many salep mixes specifically state they may contain wheat because their facilities are not gluten free. Choose your salep carefully, and opt for the old fashioned version made with traditional ingredients if you can.

Nontraditional Gluten Free Salep Recipes

Because it’s such an ancient drink, many different countries have evolved and adapted salep to their own tastes. These recipes generally don’t contain actual orchid root powder due to the reasons mentioned above. Instead they use gluten free substitutes like rice flour and corn starch to achieve a similar texture.

• Homemade sahlab mix from Amira’s Pantry (contains milk)

• Paleo sahlab from Mideast Paleo

• Middle Eastern milk pudding from Little Sunny Kitchen

• Turkish salep from Serious Eats

• Rose water & cardamom sachlav from Joodie the Foodie