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Boza, also bosa, is a
fermented beverage This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...
originating from the Middle East and made in parts of Southeast Europe,
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and Western Asia, Caucasus and North Africa. It is a
malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...
drink made by fermenting various grains: wheat or
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and barley in Ancient Egypt, maize (corn) and wheat in Turkey. It has a thick consistency, a low alcohol content (around 1%), and a slightly acidic sweet flavor.


Etymology

According to Turkish etymological dictionary and '' Nişanyan Sözlük'', ''boza'' is etymologically either Persian or
Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...
in origin. The dictionary states that Persian ''būza'' or ''buχsum'' and Old Turkic ''buχsı'' or ''buχsum'' are cognates, yet it is unclear from which language it was ultimately derived and which one took it as a loanword. Francis Joseph Steingass says it is Persian and Ármin Vámbéry says it is an ancient Turkish word found in '' Kutadgu Bilig''. The oldest written account of the drink is under the name ''buχsum'' and is attested from the 1073
Middle Turkic Middle Turkic (''Türki'' or ''Türkçe'') refers to a phase in the development of the Turkic language family, covering much of the Middle Ages (c. 900–1500 CE). In particular the term is used by linguists to refer to a group of Karluk and Og ...
dictionary '' Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk'' by
Mahmud al-Kashgari Mahmud ibn Husayn ibn Muhammed al-Kashgari, ''Maḥmūd ibnu 'l-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Kāšġarī'', , tr, Kaşgarlı Mahmûd, ug, مەھمۇد قەشقىرى, ''Mehmud Qeshqiri'' / Мәһмуд Қәшқири uz, Mahmud Qashg'ariy / М ...
. Modern Turkish word ''boza'' is believed to be cognates with the Old Turkic ''buχsı'' or ''buχsum''. The drink under the name ''boza'' is first attested in
Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati Abū Ḥayyān Athīr ad-Dīn al-Gharnāṭī ( ar, أَبُو حَيَّان أَثِير ٱلدِّين ٱلْغَرْنَاطِيّ, November 1256 – July 1344 CE / 654 - 745 AH), whose full name is Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ...
's early 14th century Kipchak Turkic work ''
Kitab al-'idrak li-lisan al-'atrak Kitab ( ar, کتاب, link=no, ''kitāb''), also transcribed kitaab, is the Arabic, Turkic, Urdu, Hindi and in various Indian Languages word for "book". * ''Kitaab'', a 1977 Hindi language movie * ''Kithaab'' (also written ''Kitab''), a 2018 Ma ...
''


History

Fermented cereal flour (generally millet) drinks have been produced in Anatolia and Mesopotamia since the 9th or 8th millennia BCE, and Xenophon mentioned in the 4th century BCE how the locals preserved and cooled the preparations in earthen pots that were buried. There are references mentioning boza-like "fermented (ground) millet drink" in
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
and
Sumerian Sumerian or Sumerians may refer to: *Sumer, an ancient civilization **Sumerian language **Sumerian art **Sumerian architecture **Sumerian literature **Cuneiform script, used in Sumerian writing *Sumerian Records, an American record label based in ...
texts; the beverage is said to be respectively ''arsikku'' and ''ar-zig''. In the 10th century CE, the drink was called ''Boza'' and became common amongst Central Asian Turkic peoples. Later it spread to the Caucasus and the Balkans. It enjoyed its golden age under the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
, and ''boza''-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 sultan
Selim II Selim II ( Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى ''Selīm-i sānī'', tr, II. Selim; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond ( tr, Sarı Selim) or Selim the Drunk ( tr, Sarhoş Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire ...
(1566–1574). He describes a type of non-alcoholic sweet ''boza'' of a milk white color usually made by Albanians. In the 17th century, Sultan Mehmed IV (1648–1687) prohibited alcoholic drinks including ''boza'', and closed down all the ''boza'' shops. This prohibition would be reinforced and then loosened several times in the history of the empire. The 17th century Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi reports that ''boza'' was widely drunk at this time, and that there were 300 ''boza'' shops employing over a thousand people in Istanbul alone. In this period, boza was widely drunk by the
Janissaries A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...
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 his '' Seyahatname'' (Travelogues), "These ''boza'' makers are numerous in the army. To drink sufficient ''boza'' to cause intoxication is sinful but, unlike wine, in small quantities it is not condemned." In the 19th century, the sweet and non-alcoholic ''boza'' 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 of Vefa, close to the then center of entertainment, Direklerarası. This ''boza'', with its thick consistency and tart flavor, became famous throughout the city. It is the only ''boza'' shop dating from that period still in business today, and is now run by the founders' great-great-grandchildren. File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4901.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Shop from across street File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4878.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci distribution area File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4888.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Consumption area File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4898.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Glass used by Atatürk File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4881.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Transfer to smaller vessel File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4896.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Transfer to smaller vessel


Production and storage

Boza is produced in the Balkans, notably Bulgaria and most of the Turkic regions, but not always using
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
. 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. 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.


In popular culture

* Mevlut Karataş, the main character in Orhan Pamuk's 2014 novel '' A Strangeness in My Mind'' (''Kafamda Bir Tuhaflık''), is a boza vendor. * A popular drink in Bulgaria, usually accompanied by a Banitsa or Gevrek * Serbian group Zana in title track from album ''Nisam, nisam'' mentions boza.


Similar beverages

Other beverages from around the world that are traditionally low-alcohol and lacto-fermented include: *
Kvass Kvass is a fermented cereal-based Alcohol by volume, low alcoholic beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour and sweet-sour taste. It may be flavoured with berries, fruits, herbs or honey. Kvass stems from the northeastern ...
*
Bragă Boza, also bosa, is a fermented beverage originating from the Middle East and made in parts of Southeast Europe, Central and Western Asia, Caucasus and North Africa. It is a malt drink made by fermenting various grains: wheat or millet in Al ...
*
Chicha ''Chicha'' is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jora'') made from a variety of maize land ...
*
Ibwatu Munkoyo or ibwatu is a popular drink in rural Zambia. It is a mildly fermented drink made from pounded roots mixed with bits of maize. The mixture can be drunk immediately after it is made or allowed to ferment for several days. It is often called ...
* Mageu *
Oshikundu Oshikundu or Ontaku is a traditional Namibian drink made from fermented millet (mahangu) flour, brans and malted sorghum flour mixed with lukewarm water. It is made from cereal. Ontaku has short life span and it has to be consumed within the ...
* Toddy *
Rivella Rivella is a soft drink from Switzerland, created by Robert Barth in 1952, which is produced from milk whey, and therefore includes ingredients such as lactose, lactic acid and minerals. Other than Switzerland, it is sold in several other countr ...
* Tejuino * Tongba


References


External links

* {{African cuisine Types of beer Fermented drinks Balkan cuisine Caucasian cuisine Central Asian cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine North African cuisine Ottoman cuisine Bulgarian drinks Bosnia and Herzegovina non-alcoholic drinks Albanian drinks