A dish of booza topped with pistachios served at theBakdash ice cream shop inDamascus
Booza (Arabic:بُوظَة,romanized: Būẓah,lit. 'ice cream') is a frozen dairy dessert. It is traditionally made through a process of pounding[3] and stretching in a freezer drum, instead of the more usual churning method used in other ice creams, leading to a creamy yet dense texture.[4][5][6]Orange flower water[7] orrose water are sometimes added for flavoring.[1] The firmness of booza allows it to be shaped into a roll, which is a popular traditional serving method.[8][2]
InAl-Hamidiyah Souq in the Old City ofDamascus, there is an ice cream store namedBakdash that is known throughout the Arab world for its stretchy and chewy ice cream. It is a popular attraction for tourists as well.[9][1]
A brother and sister team (Jilbert El-Zmetr and Tedy Altree-Williams) pioneered and created the first packaged version ofbooza in Australia in 2011. Using local ingredients together withsahlab andmastic (from the island of Chios, Greece), they recreated the traditional form ofbooza and packaged this in a take-home format available to consumers.[10]
In 2018, abooza scoop-shop named Republic of Booza was opened inWilliamsburg, Brooklyn, US, by Tamer Rabbani and Michael Sadler.[3][11]
Booza vendors can be found outside theLevant region in areas like theBay Area, US,[7] andSydney, Australia.[12]
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