Editing Orchid (section)

=== Food ===
{{further|Vanilla}}

[[File:Vanilla fragrans 4.jpg|thumb|right|Vanilla fruit drying]]

The dried seed pods of one orchid genus, ''[[Vanilla (genus)|Vanilla]]'' (especially ''[[Vanilla planifolia]]''), are commercially important as a flavouring in [[baking]], for [[perfume]] manufacture and [[aromatherapy]].

The underground tubers of terrestrial orchids [mainly ''[[Orchis mascula]]'' (early purple orchid)] are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the hot beverage ''[[salep]]'' or in the [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]] mastic ice cream ''[[dondurma]]''. The name ''salep'' has been claimed to come from the [[Arabic]] expression ''{{Transliteration|ar|ḥasyu al-tha‘lab}}'', "fox testicles", but it appears more likely the name comes directly from the Arabic name ''{{Transliteration|ar|saḥlab}}''. The similarity in appearance to testes naturally accounts for ''salep'' being considered an aphrodisiac.

The dried leaves of ''[[Jumellea fragrans]]'' are used to flavour rum on [[Reunion Island]].

Some saprophytic orchid species of the group ''[[Gastrodia]]'' produce potato-like tubers and were consumed as food by native peoples in [[Australia]] and can be successfully cultivated, notably ''[[Gastrodia sesamoides]]''. Wild stands of these plants can still be found in the same areas as early Aboriginal settlements, such as [[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]] in [[Australia]]. [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal peoples]] located the plants in habitat by observing where [[bandicoot]]s had scratched in search of the tubers after detecting the plants underground by scent.{{NoteTag|Early western district (Vic.) settler gives account of local Aboriginal people gathering potato orchid tubers, digging where bandicoots had scratched.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Zola |first1 = Nellie |last2 = Gott |first2 = Beth |title = Koorie Plants, Koorie People: Traditional Aboriginal Food, Fibre and Healing Plants of Victoria |year = 1992 |publisher = Koorie Heritage Trust Incorporated |isbn=978-1-875606-10-8 |page=38 }}</ref>}}