Merhaba AlphaF,

hmm.. but as non-turkish, there's no choice Also, I'm not sure if the custom officers @ the airport will allow the powder to go through if it's not properly seal or pack eg. in sachets form.

of course, i prefer to buy from specialty shops but i hvn't been to Turkey... yet

i felt like a spice seller (pardon.. not one of the Spice Girls,ok? ) Each time i travel, i bring along food stuffs from my country and when i'm back home i bring along food from my travel as well.. Seems like i never going to reduce the weigh allowed by airlines !

thank you for explaning in details to me ...

I just discovered an article about Sahlep...

" Two features distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. It is much tougher and chewier than that of sundae-like or other commercially produced ice cream; the unusual texture is produced by the use of salep and mastic resin as thickening agents, together with other flavorings. It is sometimes sold from carts as street food, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable.
The Kahramanmaraþ region is known for its distinct dondurma, which contains more salep than usual; it is much tougher and stickier, and may even require a knife and fork to eat!
The popularity of the salep flavor in Turkish icecream has caused a decline in the populations of the region's wild orchids. For this reason it is illegal to ship true salep out of the country."

So, what's inside the packets of Sahlep pre-mixed drinks that sold online? I'm holding back my order...

Here's a link about the plant:> http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/o/orchid13.html

I also hope that the Wild Orchids will replant back by manufacturers so that it won't extinct in the wilderness...IF not try to plant it as mass production/ commercialise the plant without touching the wild ones (like farmed salmon).

I'm really interested to purchase this drink...Can someone help me on this?

PS> I don't know why i can't type the turkish alphabet-S with her tail.. It don't want to display in Forum's post but i can type that in chat room. I hope the moderator/Webamster can do something about that. Is really uncomfortable that each time i typed that character, it appeared as '?'

Thank you

The parts of your article about how the ice cream gets strong and sticky sound more like Damla sakızlı icecream than Sahlep though!