Bozaaaaa!

For about the past month, every night (almost without exception) around 10:30 we hear someone yelling from our street something that sounds like, "Booohhhzzzlllaaayyy." He then rings a bell followed by, "AaahhhBooohhhhzzzlllaaayy." This cycle repeats...over and over again. This salesman walks the streets of our neighborhood three times every night. Until this week I have not been able to figure out what it is he is selling...

You can hear what he sounds like on the video below. The sound is a little faint, but hopefully you get the picture.

BC's family is in town with us now so last night the "seller" came down our street as predicted. We all watched him out the window, but they couldn't tell what it was either. The second time he came by two of us went outside to ask him what it was he was selling. I said to him, " Bu ne?" (What is this?), and he responded in Turkish and I didn't understand so I said, "Süt?" (Milk?) and he replied somewhat gruffly, " Süt? YOK! Boza!" (Milk? No! It's Boza!). I shrug and ask how much because I still have no idea at this point what in the world "Boza" is so I figured I might as well try it. He gets out a plastic cup and pours a thick whiteish liquid into it and sprinkles the top with cinnamon. We try it and it tastes sort of like a thicker than normal egg nog (not as sweet or eggy though...it's a tough drink to describe).

Now that I knew the name, I looked it up. Boza is popular malt drink in Turkey made from fermented wheat. It has a thick consistency and a low alcohol content (usually around 1%), and has a slightly acidic sweet flavor. It is served with cinnamon and served in mostly the winter months. Boza is an infamous beverage known since Ottoman times. In the 17th century there were over 300 shops in Istanbul that sold it.

I'm glad I know what Boza is, and I'm glad that we tried it, but I still am not sure that I understand why it needs to be yelled from the rooftops as I'm trying to fall asleep. :-)