Boza, alsobosa, is afermented beverage originating from Central Asia and made in parts of theBalkans,Turkey,Central Asia, theCaucasus, andNorth Africa. It is amalt drink made by fermenting various grains:maize (corn) andwheat in Turkey. It is one of the oldest Turkic beverages.[1][2]: 77 [3]: 46 It has a thick consistency, a low alcohol content (around 1%), and a slightly acidic sweet flavor.
According to Turkish etymological dictionaryNişanyan Sözlük,boza is etymologicallyTurkic in origin.The dictionary states thatOld Turkicbuχsı orbuχsum arecognates, yet it is unclear from which language it was ultimately derived and which one took it as aloanword.Ármin Vámbéry says it is an ancient Turkish word found inKutadgu Bilig.
The oldest written account of the drink is under the namebuχsum and is attested from the 1073Middle Turkic dictionaryDīwān Lughāt al-Turk byMahmud al-Kashgari. Modern Turkish wordboza is believed to be cognates with the Old Turkicbuχsı orbuχsum. The drink under the nameboza is first attested inAbu Hayyan al-Gharnati's early 14th centuryKipchak Turkic workKitab al-'idrak li-lisan al-'atrak[4]
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Fermented cereal flour (generally millet) drinks have been produced inAnatolia andMesopotamia since the 9th or 8th millennia BCE, andXenophon mentioned in the 4th century BCE how the locals preserved and cooled the preparations in earthen pots that were buried.[5] There are references mentioning boza-like "fermented (ground) millet drink" inAkkadian andSumerian texts; the beverage is said to be respectivelyarsikku andar-zig.[6] In the 10th century CE, the drink was calledBoza and became common amongst Central AsianTurkic peoples.[7] Later it spread to theCaucasus and theBalkans. It enjoyed its golden age under theOttomans, andboza-making became a common trade in towns and cities.
Until the 16th century, boza was drunk freely everywhere, but the custom of making the so-called Tartar boza laced with opium brought the wrath of the authorities down on the drink, and it was prohibited by sultanSelim II (1566–1574). He describes a type of non-alcoholic sweetboza of a milk white color usually made by Albanians.
In the 17th century, SultanMehmed IV (1648–1687) prohibited alcoholic drinks includingboza, and closed down all theboza shops. This prohibition would be reinforced and then loosened several times in the history of the empire. The 17th century Turkish travelerEvliya Çelebi reports thatboza was widely drunk at this time, and that there were 300boza shops employing over a thousand people inIstanbul alone.
In this period, boza was widely drunk by theJanissaries in the army. It contained only a low level of alcohol, so as long as it was not consumed in sufficient quantities to cause drunkenness, it was tolerated as a warming and strengthening beverage for soldiers. As Evliya Çelebi explained in the first volume ("Istanbul") of hisSeyahatname (Travelogues), "Theseboza makers are numerous in the army. To drink sufficientboza to cause intoxication is sinful but, unlike wine, in small quantities it is not condemned."[8] In the 19th century, the sweet and non-alcoholicboza preferred at the Ottoman palace became increasingly popular, while the sour and alcoholic type of boza went out of style. In 1876, brothers Haci Ibrahim and Haci Sadik established a boza shop in the Istanbul district ofVefa, close to the then center of entertainment, Direklerarası. Thisboza, with its thick consistency and tart flavor, became famous throughout the city. It is the onlyboza shop dating from that period still in business today, and is now run by the founders' great-great-grandchildren.
In the 1910s, boza also reachedBiałystok inPoland, where it was introduced by Macedonian immigrants, and is now designated a local traditional beverage by theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.[9]
Boza is produced in the Balkans, notably Bulgaria and most of the Turkic regions, but not always usingmillet. The flavour varies according to the cereal which is used. Measuring boza samples made from maize, wheat, and rice flours, researchers determined an average of 12.3% total sugar, 1.06% protein, and 0.07% fat.[10] The boza in Białystok, Poland is made from millet groats, with the addition ofraisins,lemon and sugar.[9]
Boza spoils if not kept in a cool place, therefore boza fermenters in Turkey did not sell boza during the hot summer traditionally, instead selling alternative beverages such as grape juice or lemonade. They produce it in the summer now due to increased availability of refrigeration, and revenue from high demand. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Albania, and North Macedonia produce boza as a refreshing beverage year-round.
Other beverages from around the world that are traditionally low-alcohol andlacto-fermented include:
Media related toBoza (drink) at Wikimedia Commons
