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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Boza

It's a cold, dark and rainy day outside. A perfect day to enjoy the coziness of home. I already miss sunshine and spring days and started to dream and plan about our summer at the beach. A perfect day to dream about the coming summer,too.

However I am not forgeting to enjoy the delights of the winter. Here is one of them: Boza, a favorite drink of mine during winter.


It's made of fermented wheat, sugar and water. It's known to be made for the first time by the Central Asian Turks during 900s. You can only purchase it during winter months and serve it with cinnamon.

So what is it taste like? Well, it is like a rich liquid puding. It is thick, and sweet. Not very much liked by my foreign friends who taste it for the first time, as they found its thickness strange.

Boza is also known to be prohibited by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed 4, while he was prohibiting all the alcoholic drinks during the 17th century. Reason? As it is fermented, there is a low alcohol content in it. About 1%.

So if you ever happen to be around this part of the world during winter months, try boza for some extra energy and calories.

29 comments:

  1. isatnbuldan manzaralarınız bir harika

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  2. Sounds interesting. Is it served warm or cold? I love anything with cinnamon.

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  3. hm...could be too sweet for my taste but would be great to have a sip!
    It's been really cold here recently. This morning at 6 it was +12 and daytime under +20 last couple of days...
    it should get warmer on Wednesday, hooray! :)

    BLOGitse

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  4. One time I was served horse's milk- an East Asian drink- and take my word for it, according to my Western tastes, you would have to be plenty thirsty, daring or idiotic (I cover all three, by the way) to have more than one glass of it. Bitter and all too organic. And, with that taste, you aren't allowed to forget for a second the "factory" that made the stuff.

    Boza served warm is a great way to beat that Turkish chill. I think the thing that always sticks in my mind, is hearing the street vendor calling out in a low bass voice, in the early winter evening, "Boooooooooza... Boooooza." Kind of creepy but memorable.

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  5. It served cold Bonnie.
    Nomad, I think you are mentioning about salep which is served hot. Another favorite of mine and yes we still have a street vendor around here that sells boza.

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  6. I'll have this in my mind! Kind regards my dear friend Aysegul.

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  7. I'd love to try it, sounds like a neat smoothy to me. Of course I'm trying to stay away from sugery stuff.

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  8. Yes I concur as a foreigner, I was offered this once and was not a lover. But it does look good, which is why I tried it!

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  9. This sounds really good.

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  10. sounds like a "comfort" drink...but is it heated or do you drink it cold?

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  11. Sounds like a yummy drink. Does it taste like "Salepi"?
    I loved, loved your artistic photo!
    Well captured!
    Betty xx

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  12. Sounds ike something really yummy. My mother in law used to make a very thick, very sweet drink out of rice. She only made it when it was cold outdoors.
    Mary

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  13. Wonderful photo... it looks so yummy and cozy. It almost looks like a beer to me, but obviously it has quite a different taste. I would certainly give it a go if I ever came to visit. :)

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  14. It would be interesting to try; I would expect it to be a hot drink just from the description. It certainly looks very appetizing. :)

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  15. Oh yum, I think I might like this. I know there is no knowing until one actually does try it, but it sounds wonderful.

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  16. It actually looks like a smoothie, although, obviously it isn't. A very interesting post with the historical and cultural bits thrown in for good measure. Very enjoyable indeed. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  17. Boza looks delicious the way you've photographed it and your description makes me curious about the flavor. Does the wheat make boza taste yeasty, like bread?

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  18. aysegul,
    that sounds amazing. thick and sweet with a touch of alcohol... how can you go wrong?

    my daughter brought me a little coffee maker from vietnam. the drink is called vietnamese white coffee. it is made with sweetened condensed milk. thick and sweet and yummy!

    have a great day
    ~laura

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  19. Your description of this drink reminds me of sahlep, which we drink hot in the winter to warm us up. I wonder if the two are similar. I'm not even sure what sahlep is made of; I just know I go gaga over it with some freshly ground nuts and cinnamon. Yummy and warm! Your posts always trigger memories... nice!

    Nevine

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  20. Sounds very good. We are still getting a lot of snow, Although I look forward to Spring, I too am savoring the last cozy month of Winter fireside.
    xoxo

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  21. it sounds delish to me. cinammon, puddingish... count me in!

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  22. Looks better than it sounds....but I'd try it!

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  23. Yum! thick and rich and fermented with cinnamon? I would love that...

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  24. Liquid pudding.....now that could be dangerous.

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  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. I love cinnamony things. Perhaps this will be fine.

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  27. It sound like it would be quite comforting...today is so snowy an gray...I can imagine this really "hitting the spot". Enjoy.

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  28. I always like to try the typicall food and drinks of the new place I'm in, this sounds really delicious and be sure that when I travel to Turkey I will definetely try one!!!
    Winter is ending in this part of the world! only in the mornings is very cold!

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  29. Always by the time I get here there are so many comments! That's because everyone loves your blog. This Boza sounds tasty to me. I'd love to try it. I'll bet it smells good, too.

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