Sahlab (A Creamy Levantine Winter Drink)

When I was growing up in Jordan, my classmates and I couldn't resist bugging the school bus driver to pull over on chilly winter days whenever we spotted a street cart selling sahlab, a drink so popular across the Levant that it always overshadowed hot chocolate. Truth be told, the driver needed no convincing: He was just as eager as we were to cradle a hot cup of the velvety, cinnamon-scented milk, rendering his winter gloves unnecessary. For us students, sahlab was so soothing and delicious that it quieted our usual rambunctiousness, stifling the cacophony aboard the bus to a low murmur, if only for a moment. I still crave sahlab any time the temperature drops below 40°F. Luckily, it's quick and easy to make at home.

What Is Sahlab?

Sahlab is essentially sweetened, thickened milk flavored with rich vanilla and orange blossom water, then topped with warm cinnamon, pistachios, and occasionally shredded coconut. The consistency of sahlab sits somewhere between a drink and a pudding. Some people prefer it quite thick, almost spoonable; others keep it looser and more drinkable. I fall firmly in the latter camp, favoring a thinner consistency that can be sipped easily from a mug.

The Magic—and Reality—of Salep

Known as sahlab across the Levant and as salep in Turkey, the drink's name comes from saḥlab, the Arabic name for the dried tubers of wild orchids, which are traditionally used to thicken it. Although orchid tubers have been used in food and medicine for centuries, sahlab as a hot milk drink is most closely associated with the Ottoman period, when cups of sahlab were widely sold as a winter warmer across imperial territories. Because the orchids used for sahlab grow wild across parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, including Turkey and the Levant, their collection is now restricted or illegal in many places.

When available, the tuber is most often sold as salep, either already ground or as dried tubers that are later finely ground at home using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. It thickens milk while adding a subtle, floral, earthy aroma. 

Because salep is rare and expensive, most modern recipes rely on cornstarch instead, as I do in my recipe below. While far less magical-sounding, cornstarch works exceptionally well, producing a smooth, creamy drink, provided it is whisked into a slurry first to prevent clumps from forming. The drink should also be whisked constantly as it cooks in the saucepan to prevent scorching and lumps.

Vanilla is a more modern addition to sahlab, and rose water is often used instead of orange blossom water. I prefer orange blossom water, which is far less perfumey and polarizing. Its gentle floral note complements the milk without overwhelming it, keeping the drink comforting rather than heady.

Ready-made sahlab mixes are widely sold across the Levant and in some international grocery stores in the US; they come in powdered form and simply require milk. They work in a pinch, but given how quick sahlab is to make from scratch—and how often the mixes rely on artificial flavorings—I much prefer to make my own.

Today, sahlab remains the soothing drink I sip through the winter, one that makes the cold more tolerable and the foggy days a little brighter.