I have mentioned many a time here the place that food holds in my heart. Eating is, bar none, my favorite past time. Always has been. So for me, one of the most fascinating mysteries to unravel here in Turkey has been of the culinary variety. Lucky for me, there’s some seriously strange and unique food and drink going on here in this region of the world. I thought I might mention a few of them for any gourmande who may find their histories and descriptions of interest (and for anyone who likes to know what they are eating in general).

Salep

The first of these is one of my favorite Turkish delicacies. It is a beverage called salep. It is made with a powder that is derived from the ground roots of several species of wild orchid. These roots contain a starchy substance that makes the drink rich and creamy. The powder is mixed with hot milk and sugar.
Unfortunately, the drink’s popularity has led to over-harvesting of these particular wild orchids and as a result, it is now illegal to export true salep powder. On the market today, artifical varieties have mostly taken its place.
Salep is primarly served in the cold winter months as it is thick and creamy and served warm. One can find salep vendors in the streets decanting this heavenly concoction from an old-fashioned copper urn with a spigot. It is typically sprinkled generously with cinnamon and enjoyed by yours truly, as often as possible.

Salep has been around for ages and even enjoyed brief popularity in England as a result of the mania for all things “Oriental” back in the 1700’s. It was served in coffeehouses before coffee and tea replaced them as the thing to drink. It was even carried on ships in those days because it was believed to be so nutritious and hardy as to constitute a sailor’s daily needs when rations became low.
Amusingly, it is also considered an aphrodisiac because the orchid tubers resemble testicles. (!) It was given by village healers to men who experienced low libido.
The word itself is derived from the Arabic word sahlap, meaning “orchid”, which is fitting.

Boza

Another beverage that makes its appearance in wintertime is boza. Various types of boza are popular throughout Eastern Euope, consisting of fermented millet in Bulgaria and Romania and fermented corn and wheat in Albania. The version consumed in Turkey is made from fermented wheat. It is traditionally served topped with cinnamon, like salep, with roasted chickpeas (leblebi in Turkish) on the side.
It has a slightly acidic sweet taste and a rather thick consistency. I, myself, do not care for it due to the oddness of its texture. To me, it sort of feels like drinking apple sauce that has gone south, but most people in Turkey look forward to seeing it come winter.

Şalgam

Speaking of beverages that are an acquired taste, there’s also something called şalgam. Şalgam is lazily called turnip juice, but it is actually made from the juice of black pickled carrots that is then flavored with aromatic turnip and fermented in barrels. It comes from the Southern region of Adana and as a result, is a popular drink alongside Adana kebap.
It is also sometimes consumed as an accompaniment to rakı (the anise seed liquor). Turks also believe that şalgam is a good hangover cure, although I have never tested that theory myself. I pretty much stay away from the stuff. (şalgam, that is, not booze)

Ayran

Ayran is another extremely popular drink here in Turkey. It is basically yogurt mixed with water and salt. It is thought to have its origins in the adding of salt to yogurt in order to preserve it. It is tradionally offered by the hostess to guests in rural regions of Turkey.
Ayran is more readily consumed than sodas and even juice and as a result, even major fast-food chains operating here, such as McDonald’s, offer ayran in their menu options.
During my first months of living here in Turkey, I can remember saying to a curious Turk of my extreme passion for the drink: “I wish I could be hooked up to an I.V. of ayran.” Consider the grossness of what I have just said, and move on.

Pişmaniye

Pişaniye is another delicacy unique to this region, although apparently the Chinese also have a version of it (called dragon’s beard candy). The word comes from the Persian pashmak, which is their name for the candy. It is essentially delicate strands of spun sugar made from flour and butter and sugar. It is often sprinkled with ground pistachios, like many desserts here.
Naturally, kids are crazy about the stuff as it is nearly pure sugar. I have only tasted it once, and the consistency took me back to a field trip to the Science Center in elementary school and tasting “astronaut ice cream”.

Mastic gum

Another unusual taste that is unique to the Mediterranean region is mastic gum. This is a resin that comes from a tree or shrub, Pistachia Lentiscus, a relative of the pistachio tree. The bark of the tree is scored and the milky resin leaks out. Then, it is cleaned and laid in the sun to dry.
It is very popular in Greece where a special variety of the shrub grows on the Greek island of Chios. In fact, mastic gum became popular when Chios was part of the Ottoman Empire. It is said that it enjoyed special importance in the Sultan’s harem both as a breath freshener and also as an additive to cosmetics.

Today, mastic gum (damla sakız in Turkish) is used primarily in desserts. You may notice that many Turkish desserts have an almost chewy consistency and have a distictive white color. Both of these attributes are directly connected to the properties of gum mastic. It is used in Turkish ice cream (dondurma) and in puddings, especially the popular muhallebi.

I hope one day you, too, have the opportunity to eat your way through Turkey. Boredom is not an option.