Drink & meze A winter evening, in the street

Salep

Hot, thick, dusted with cinnamon. Sold by street vendors, winter only.

Salep is a winter street drink, and in Thessaloniki it survives where in other cities it has nearly vanished.

What it is

A thick, hot, white drink made from ground orchid tuber — salep — boiled with milk or water until it thickens. It is served in a glass with cinnamon on top, and often a little ginger.

The texture surprises people the first time: it sits between a drink and a custard, and takes a moment to get used to.

Where from

It is Ottoman in origin and travelled across the empire. In Thessaloniki it was sold by street vendors with large pots and flasks, standing on corners on cold nights and calling their wares. The tradition is tied closely to winter and to the markets, where people worked from before dawn.

It was street coffee before street coffee existed.

Why it is rare

The orchid tuber that real salep is made from comes from protected species, and its collection is restricted. It takes many tubers to make a little powder, and the plant is not easily cultivated.

The result: most of what is sold today as "salep" is made with starch and flavouring. That is not a fraud, it is the market — but it is worth knowing, and worth asking. The real thing has a more restrained flavour and a finer texture than you expect.

When

Winter only, roughly November to March, and mostly in the evening or early on a cold morning. You will not find it in summer, and if you do, something is off.

Where

From street vendors in the centre on cold nights, particularly around Aristotelous, Egnatia and the markets. A few traditional shops and dairy bars serve it steadily through the season.

If you come across a salep cart on a freezing night on Aristotelous, try it. It is one of the few flavours in the city that has not been turned into a tourist product, and very probably the oldest thing you can still buy on the street.

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