Salep, also spelled sahlep or sahlab, is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis. These tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan. Salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts, especially in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, notably in the Levant where it is a traditional winter beverage. An increase in consumption is causing local extinctions of orchids in parts of Turkey and Iran.
Larousse (1961) provides recipes for "salep jelly" and "salep soup".
