Salep is a flour made from ground, dried wild orchid tubers (Orchis mascula), long treasured in Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine. It's what gives traditional Turkish and Persian ice cream its famous stretchy, chewy texture instead of a typical creamy melt, and it's also the base for sahlep, a warm, comforting winter drink.

• **Rare by nature**: wild orchid tubers must be hand-harvested and processed, making salep a labor-intensive, small-batch ingredient.
• **Unique gelling power**: salep forms a texture few other starches can replicate, which is exactly what gives Persian ice cream its signature chew.
• **Pure and additive-free**: Pure Salep (Saleb), Wild Orchid Powder (for making Persian Ice Cream) is just the ground tuber powder, so you control exactly how much to use and how it behaves in your recipe.

If you're curious to try it, this is the ingredient to start with for authentic homemade Persian-style ice cream or a cozy cup of sahlep.