In Istanbul, a Slurp to Chase Winter Chills

It's snowing! In Istanbul!

And with big fluffy flakes drifting down outside our window, now seems the perfect time to tell you about boza.

Thought to have been invented in the 10th century or thereabouts by central Asian Turks, boza is a fermented drink made from corn, wheat, or millet. We sampled the beverage at Vefa Bozacisi, an old-timey shop not far from Suleymaniye Mosque. Vefa is certainly not a "find" -- it's in every guide book and probably on every walking tour, but it's not just for visitors; Istanbullu frequent Vefa too. 

The shop has a long history. By the 1600s there were boza shops all over Istanbul selling a thin, sour, rather alcoholic version, until Sultan Mehmend IV closed them down as part of a genearl ban on alcohol. During this period a sweetish, hardly alcholic version is said to have been favored by the Janissaries who guarded Topkapi Palace. Given the Sultan's ban on booze it became popular outside the palace walls as well.

In the late 1800s -- or so the story on the Vefa website goes -- Vefa founder Hadji Sadik Bey immigrated to Istanbul from Albania and "started to make Vefa Boza of a different flavour and taste, with thick consistency and having a less sour taste, just as it is flavoured and enjoyed today."

Boza is a winter beverage meant to be drunk warm. Long ago it was sold by itinerant vendors who pushed their carts up and down Istanbul's slippery wintertime hills shouting "Boooza! Booooza!" Now you can buy the stuff in a bottle, but for pure nostalgia value it's hard to beat the Vefa experience.

The shop is all mirrors, blue-and-white tiles, and timber. Orders of boza are ladled up to order from a big marble tub on the bar that runs along one side of the shop.

We sampled our boza off-season (as you might deduce by the short sleeves in these photos). Such a hearty drink would probably have gone down easier in the dead of winter but even in June boza cast its spell on me.

It's quite viscous -- thick and slurpy. Some may find this repellent, but living in Asia has pretty much inured me to gloppiness in any dish or beverage. I loved the boza's's mildly sweet-tanginess, which is nicely complemented by the generous sprinkle of cinnamon with which the boza server annoints each glass.

Right across the street from Vefa is a leblebici (roasted chickpea seller). This is not a coincidence. Some boza drinkers sprinkle the roasted legumes on top of their boza before each sip/slurp.

On that summer day, as we sat in Vefa sipping/slurping our boza, our friend Evren (he of the healthy obsession with deliciousness and the memorable brunch near Rumeli Castle) explained the custom such: "Imagine buying a bag of just-roasted leblebi from the leblebici, then rushing over to Vefa to eat them while they're still hot, with a warm glass of boza."

That I can imagine, on a wintry day like this.

(Want to try making boza at home? This recipe uses bulgur. Want more winter? Dave shot these images earlier this week in Sivas and Malatya, central Turkey -- and on the open road in between.)

Comments

[Snippets of Thyme]

What an interesting sounding drink. I can't think of anything here that I can reference the flavors. I do, though, love roasted chickpeas so that would be delicious to crunch on.

[The Turkish Life]

Great pictures! There's still a boza guy pushing his cart up and down the slippery wintertime hill outside my house -- just heard his call last night :)

[maya]

Hey Robyn, loved this post, it brought back sweet memories (when I was a kid growing up in Ankara on freezing winter evenings we always used to hear the bozaci do his rounds, but my mom who is french never allowed us to have some saying that she didn,t know if it was made with safe ingredients and clean utensils and containers etc... we also used to hear the "kalayci" who was a guy who went from street to street cleaning people's brass and copper pots and sharpen their knives on an incredible contraption!!!)
Though I must say I am more of a SAHLEP girl than a Boza girl! Same goes for the leblebi, I love leblebi but only the white ones! Just by looking at your photos I can picture myself there, just passing by the guys in the doner shop, I can even imagine the the smell of roasting chestnuts...! Thanks! Maya

[Mesut]

It is said that new mothers favor this drink because it helps to producing more milk, like malt drinks.

Also, it is said one more effect of this drink on females is bigger breasts.

[Katy]

Wow, Maya’s winter evenings memories of bozaci rounds so reminiscing mine of Mian Cha (Flour tea – roasted (or in fact toasted in China) flour tea) – We used to call it Bee-bee Ah-be/uncle, the sound bee-bee from steam whistle attached to the mouth of a large kettle – the hotter the water the louder the whistle. They only came in winter late evening toward midnight. I’ve only heard them laying in bed or sometimes peeped through curtains out of curiosity to see who was buying and what was happening when I was a child. But I would never want to have some for the same reasons Maya had been given. The Flour tea of course originated from North of China – basically various type of flours are used and toasted, sesame is used – for the flavour and the oil. Popular in the veteran community back home in the 1950, but had since developed into a Taiwan-style winter ‘drink’ – toasted with lard, shallots and etc. A little sweet but also savory – very hearty and warming. Lard is the key for the flavour. I think in Tibet, they add in milk and maybe butter or some fat. How nice to know there are still pulled cart selling boza in Istanbul.

[Robyn]

TTL -- that is so cool Jen! I wish I knew when to find him.

Snippets, I don't think I could compare the taste of boza to anything western, to tell the truth. Wouldn't want it everyday, but it's interesting.

Hi Maya -- thanks for the lovely memories. Sahlep is easier to love for sure -- I am actually more of a tea girl than *either* a boza or sahlep girl (both are rather filling). And I'm ambivalent about leblebi. If there's not raki or beer to hand, I prefer them eaten together with some nice grapes.

Katy, that sounds amazing! Yes in Tibet they drink yak butter tea (I found it foul in the mid-80s but my tastes have changed alot and I think I wouldn't mind it now), sometimes thickened with tea. Wow. Would love to taste the tea you describe. Thanks for the comment.

[Ilke]

Sahlep and boza definitely have their fans, and I love both. I made boza before with yeast however, if you save a portion of the first batch, make a second batch with that, it tastes better, without the very yeasty trace (in my opinion at least, dont care for yeast taste much). My grandfather used to make a batch every winter from previous winter's batch.
Beautiful pictures. I am on my way to Istanbul visit my family this Wednesday and I am hoping to come back with many memory snapshots like this.

[Sarah]

I've heard of sahleb, one of my favorite drinks, traditionally thickened from the root of an orchid, hence the name. The spice store sells the orchid starch but most vendors use corn starch, a much cheaper alternative. Have yet to try Boza, looks good! Great pictures as always.

[Robyn]

Hi Ilke -- I think there is yeast in the linked recipe. I haven't tried making it myself but I do wonder if I'd like it even more if it was home made. Enjoy Istanbul! Gosh I love that city.

Hi Sarah - yep, most sahlep is not the real thing, though even the not-real-thing on ferry on a cold wintry afternoon is pretty nice. The cafe at the Istanbul Culinary Institute serves sahlep made from scratch. Didn't get to try it this trip. Next winter, for sure.

[Still Served Warm]

This is really a great post!

[Ben]

Boza sounds great! Although the recipe you gave seems to suggest that it might take quite a lot of time to prepare... Maybe I should just go to Istanbul and have it for real, instead?!