A Traditional Fermented Drink: Boza

Boza, a fermented food with a history dating back 9000 years, appears as an indispensable drink in the winter months. It takes its name from the Persian word “buze”, which also means millet, and it is known that it has been consumed in Central Asia for centuries.

Boza is produced by cooking cereals such as millet, corn, barley, oats with the addition of water after turning them into flour, followed by the addition of sugar and finally yeast and lactic acid fermentation. It is a sweet and sour drink with a consistency, pale yellow color and taste. With fermentation, both the nutritional and sensory properties of the grains are improved. In addition, carbon dioxide, which is one of the fermentation products, adds refreshing properties to the spoil. Experts state that the best quality boza is produced from millet when compared with different raw materials.
Its intensive consumption in Central Asia dates back to very old times and has been introduced in different geographies with the migrations carried out. There are usually differences in production technique, raw materials and alcohol ratio from country to country. At first, its consumption was widespread in Islamic countries, but by the 18th. in the XIX century, its production was banned due to the high alcohol content. In our country, boza is consumed most in winter, in addition, it can also be consumed in October due to its refreshing effect, but due to high temperatures, it is necessary to pay attention to the storage conditions.

As a result, although the industrial production of boza is not very widespread, it contains probiotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. It can be consumed with pleasure as a natural, additive-free and functional food.

Source: Levent, H., & Cavuldak, Ö. A. (2017). Geleneksel fermente bir içecek: boza. Akademik Gıda, 15(3), 300-307.