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A little bit of history:
Sachlav refers to the actual orchid, and the drink. The tubers of the orchid are dried and ground up to create this fragrant flour. An unconventional theory claims that the name ‘sahlab’ is derived from the Arabic expression “hasyu al-tha’lab”, in English – fox testicles, a not-so-subtle depiction of the orchid tubers. Not too kosher. Possibly because of this reason, the orchid has historically been used as an aphrodisiac. The actual beverage originated in A Spot of Nutrition:
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Before honing in on some of the specific nutritional benefits on sachlav here is a word on hot drinks, and their nutritional value. Benefits of hot drinks are largely psychological, as they give you a few minutes to de-stress in addition to relaxing a sore throat. When drunk alongside a meal, they also force you to slow down your eating, allowing you to eat less and feel full more quickly. I also find that the mere act of holding a hot drink in our hand, brings an instantaneous sensation of calmness and happiness. As a side benefit, many hot drinks contain the magical ingredient of milk – which is great for slipping some calcium into your diet.
Now what about this supernatural orchid you ask?
The root is commonly used in herbal medicine and has been found to restore the body after disease by stimulating its activity. It particularly has been shown to have a curative effect on the common cold and cough, hence is popularity during the winter months.
Point of reference:
The root is commonly used in herbal medicine and has been found to restore the body after disease by stimulating its activity. It particularly has been shown to have a curative effect on the common cold and cough, hence is popularity during the winter months.
Point of reference:
Unfortunately it is extremely difficult/illegal to bring sachlav into Australia . If you do want to impress your friends and family – you could always purchase the powdered sachlav mix (made with artificial flavourings) and fabricate a tale that includes you trekking around the Middle Eastern dessert on a hunt to bring home Early Purple Orchids. Make sure you hide the box.
Here is a simple recipe assuming you don’t have any sachlav on you.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons Sahlab powder or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons rose or orange-blossom water (optional)
2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
Ground cinnamon
Preparation:
Mix the Sahlab powder or cornstarch with a few tablespoons of milk.
Bring the remaining milk to a boil. Pour in the starch mixture, stirring vigorously, so that lumps do not form.
Cook over very low heat, stirring continuously, until the milk thickens (about 10 minutes). Then stir in the sugar and the rose water or orange blossom water, if you so desire.
Serve in cups with the chopped pistachios and cinnamon as garnish. You may also sprinkle grated coconut on top.
While it's wonderful to publicize a recipe for sahlab, let's not disseminate false information along with it. There are no sects within Judaism, and by no conceivable stretch of the imagination do Sephardic and Ashkenazik Judaism appear to be separate religions.
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