Has anyone ever tasted or ate dondurma?!

dondurma (turkish chewy ice cream), made with salep flour (orchid tuber, finely grounded).... hmmm!

if you ever go to Turkey, you should definitely give it a go.
i don't think you'd be disappointed. looks a bit strange but i think the flavour should be interesting enough to make it worth your time... ;)))

http://robinfenske.org/Strange%20Food%20…

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Dondurma (Turkish, literally "freezing") is the name given to ice cream in Turkey.
Dondurma typically includes the ingredients milk, sugar, salep, and mastic.

Two features distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. It is much tougher and chewier than that of the ice cream used in sundaes, gelato or commercially produced ice cream. The unusual texture is produced by the use of salep (a flour made from dried orchid tubers) 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.

Description

Two qualities distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. Inclusion of the thickening agents salep, a flour made from the root of the Early Purple Orchid, and mastic, a resin, impart chewiness.

The Kahramanmara? region is known for mara? dondurmas?, a variety which contains distinctly more salep than usual; tough and sticky, it is sometimes eaten with a knife and fork.

http://www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/10/l…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondurma

Yes I have, while on holiday in Turkey. The bell is very important for the ice cream man.
Check this out on youtube and get the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvUQQF5S4…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3f3g2krQ…