Boza (Fermented Turkish Grain Drink)

Boza is a thick, lightly fermented drink made from bulgur, sweet with a faint tang, traditionally sipped in winter across Turkey and the Balkans. It’s topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas for crunch. Texture-wise, think somewhere between a smoothie and a thin porridge.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine bulgur (or millet)
• 6 cups water, divided
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• Ground cinnamon, for serving
• Roasted chickpeas (leblebi), for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the grain.
   Simmer bulgur with 4 cups water, covered, for 20 minutes, until very soft. Blend until smooth, adding the remaining 2 cups water.
2. Sweeten and cool.
   Stir in sugar while the mixture is still warm, then let cool to lukewarm (about 100°F).
3. Ferment.
   Whisk in yeast and pour into a clean jar. Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring once or twice, until slightly tangy and faintly fizzy.
4. Chill and serve.
   Refrigerate until cold. Pour into glasses and top with a dusting of cinnamon and a scattering of roasted chickpeas.

Boza keeps refrigerated for about 3 days and continues to develop tang as it sits.