Trying new foods is one of the joys of living and traveling in a foreign country.
I'll try just about anything once. However, I had to pass on the fish eyeballs my husband tried in Little India in Singapore.
I'm also not a fan of Iskembe �orbasi - Turkish tripe soup. Apparently, this traditional soup is good after you've had one too many drinks, but I'll stick to the tantuni vendors off of Istiklal Caddesi.
Last week, I tried boza while exploring the Vefa neighborhood in Istanbul. I'd recently heard more about this strange Turkish drink thanks to Claudia over at A Seasonal Cook in Turkey.
Boza is made from hulled millet that is cooked with water and sugar and then left to cool and ferment. At first, I thought the mixture looked a bit like egg nog, which I love.
The bozaci ladels the boza from a large marble vat into individual glasses. The drink is then dusted with a liberal dose of cinnamon and garnished with dried chickpeas.
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| This guy loved showing off the boza to us! |
I wasn't sure if I would like boza, but I wanted to try it.
Tip: Use a spoon.
Boza is tangy and slightly sweet and has the consistency of applesauce. That's why you need a spoon. The dried chickpeas add an interesting crunch as you "eat" this drink.
Well, I finished about half my glass and left it on the old marble countertop in Vefa Bozacisi.
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| Boza is an unique Turkish drink! |
My verdict: boza is okay, but I'm not sure I'd try it again.
If you are visiting the nearby S�leymaniye Mosque, then you definitely must stop by the famous Vefa Bozacisi, opened since 1876. Vefa, near the Aksaray bus stop, is a quaint, ramshackle of a neighborhood that's worth exploring on its own. I took so many interesting photos that day.
As Claudia says, "Liking (boza) isn't the point." It's about experiencing a Turkish tradition.
And that I enjoyed.
What foreign foods have you tried and not liked?
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| These two workers at Vefa Bozacisi were kind enough to pose for some more photos. |
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| The Vefa sign on a nearby sports club building. |