It has been revealed that Arabs across the Middle East have been drinking a warm, thick drink with Israeli roots. At least that is what one journalist claimed in his review of sahlab. Social media users have reacted angrily after claims by a website that sahlab is ‘Israel’s answer to hot chocolate’. The poorly researched article claims that sahlab is “a hot drink that is to Israel what hot chocolate is” in New York City. The article reviews one Israeli restauranteur’s introduction of “sachlav” in New York and consistently refers to the popular Arab drink’s ‘Israeli’ roots. What the writer, Michael Kaminer, failed to recognize was that sahlab’s roots date back to before Israel was created as a state. The hot drink, normally consumed in winter, was first introduced across the Middle East by the Ottoman Empire. In fact, a popular myth states that the name ‘sahlab’ is derived from the Arabic expression ‘hasyou al-thaalab’, which in English translates to ‘fox testicles’. Despite this expression, sahlab is actually derived from the tubers of orchids which are dried and grounded up into flour. The drink was first popular in the Levantine region…
