Soapwort Root

Soapwort is one of the main ingredients of tahini halva with its persistent flavor. In fact, halva and soapwort are so identified that it is often referred to as "halva herb", and it owes this feature to the active substance in its content called "saponin", which is a glycoside with high molecular weight. Soapwort, also called as soaproot, chalk plant and baby's breath, is a genus of herbaceous plant in Caryophyllaceae family. The part of the plant used is its woody roots. Its active substance is saponin and is used in food industry in halva and ice cream production due to its waxing and bleaching properties. In Turkish cuisine, it is used in several desserts such as tahini halva, nougat halva, kerebich and pasha delight. Soapwort, which is not cultivated, grows in nature by itself.

Soapwort, which is also an export item as well as its domestic consumption, is rooted the cultivated fields in our country or from the nature it grows by itself in a wide area in various regions of our country. There are 100 species of soapwort identified worldwide, and 50 of them are in our country. It is expected that soapwort continues to sweeten our palates for longer times with the preservation of natural growth areas and placing further importance on cultivation (considering our traditional products in which it is used).