#salepi

[kasapidisgiorgos]

[elladastinkardiamou]

Ancient Greek Drink Salepi Made from One Thousand Orchids

Outside of Asia Minor and the Balkans, it is rare to hear about this ancient concoction, because it is so very characteristic of the area.

This is the sixth in a series of stories on the history of Greek foods. In this second article in a series of three, we continue to retrace the journey that built the foundations of the cultural identity of the Greek people.

Salepi is both the name for the powder obtained from the roots of certain species of orchids, and the drink that goes by the same name.

As an ancient preparation, this historical analysis should be divided in two parts, not periodical but etymological: I will describe both the origin of the myth of the orchid and the birth of the drink Salepi, which is strongly connected to mythological and ancient beliefs.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens. Monastiraki

As the winter season takes hold in Athens, warm the soul with a cup of Salepi found here at this street stand in Monastiraki. Made from wild orchid flowers, a flour dust is stirred with water or mixed with hot milk. Salepi was a common beverage throughout the Ottoman Empire but was also widely consumed in England in the 17th & 18th centuries as an alternative to coffee. Puddings and ice-creams are often made with Salep flour and found particularly in Turkey. This street vendor warms his Salepi with hot coals found underneath the large brass samovars. Source: whyathens.com

[antoniosbouris]

#abcdes #salepi https://www.instagram.com/p/B7KLAIKFKZ6/?igshid=1p18a66fv30yd

[elladastinkardiamou]

The Disappearing Salepi Peddlers

Although it tastes nothing like it used to, salepi is undoubtedly the best hot drink you can enjoy on a cold winter’s day in Athens

Three or four decades ago there was no way could one visit Athens, or any other major Greek city, in wintertime without encountering a street vendor crying loudly “Salepi, salepi, hot salepi” as he wheeled a cart containing a hot samovar. In some cases peddlers would traipse around, sans cart, carrying a large steaming brass pot. At that time they served the thick, pungent, pleasantly soothing, off-white concoction using the same cup for all customers, after a casual wipe. Although, from a hygiene point of view, the few remaining salepi stands have markedly improved as they’ve switched to Styrofoam cups, the quality of the hot beverage has unfortunately suffered. In most cases, they now use powder fromcultivated orchid root imported from Israel instead of the original, but now endangered, wild variety from the Pindos mountains. Some unscrupulous vendors will even resort to the unpleasant ersatz sort made from cornstarch, sugar, water and artificial flavoring.