Boza is a thick Turkish winter drink made by fermenting bulgur and rice with a little sugar and yeast. It sits somewhere between a drink and a pudding, sweet and tangy at once.
The recipe needs a handful of pantry ingredients, and most of the time is just waiting while it ferments. We drink it cold, topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas. One batch makes eight glasses.
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What Is Boza?
Boza is one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world, with roots going back thousands of years. Depending on the region, it is made from bulgur, millet, corn, or rice. It carries a very low alcohol content of around 1%, produced naturally as it ferments.
During the Ottoman era, shops called bozahanes sold it commercially, and boza is still sold in traditional shops and cafes across Turkey today. The thick, pudding-like texture comes from the cooked grain itself, sieved smooth before fermenting.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Bulgur is easy to find and cooks down quickly, so you skip the hunt for hulled millet.
- The starter makes the fermentation predictable. Wild-yeast boza can take three days and does not always come out the same.
- You do not need any special equipment. A pot, a sieve, and a large jar or bowl do the whole job.
- Every stage has a photo, so you can see what the base, the starter, and the finished ferment should look like.
- For me, the best part of homemade boza is the control. You decide how sweet, how sour, and how thick it ends up.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Bulgur - The key ingredient. Cracked wheat gives boza its body and most of its flavor. Turkish and Middle Eastern shops carry it, and I use it in Bulgur Rice Pilaf, Icli Kofte (Turkish Kibbeh), and Lebanese Tabbouleh as well.
- Milk - A little warm milk goes into the starter with the yeast and sugar.
- Rice - Not every boza has rice, but I like what it does to the texture. It makes the drink silkier and a little milder.
- Sugar - Sugar balances the tartness, and it feeds the yeast during the fermentation.
- Yeast - Fresh yeast starts the fermentation. A cup of boza from a previous batch works as a starter instead, the way the old boza shops keep theirs going.
- Leblebi (roasted chickpeas) and cinnamon - The classic toppings. Any Turkish shop sells leblebi in bags.
How to Make Turkish Boza?
Cook and Strain the Base
Rinse the bulgur and rice with cold water. Add them to a pot along with 8 cups of water.
Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until mushy. When cooked, pass it through a sieve using the back of a wooden spoon. Discard the solids.
Let the sieved bulgur mixture cool completely at room temperature.
Ferment and Serve
To make the yeast mixture that will ferment the boza, mix warm milk, fresh yeast, and sugar in a separate bowl.
Transfer the cooled bulgur mixture to a large pot. Mix with the yeast mixture and cover the pot. Let it sit in a dark place for 24 hours.
Occasionally open the lid of the boza mixture to allow air to circulate and help it ferment. When the boza is fermented, adjust the consistency by adding sugar and water gradually.
Chill the boza well before serving.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Let the strained base cool completely to room temperature before the starter goes in. Heat kills the yeast.
- Check that your yeast is fresh and not expired, and use warm milk, never hot.
- Ferment the boza in a cool, dark place. In a warm room it ferments faster and turns sour sooner.
- Taste at the end and adjust. More sugar if it is too tart, a little water if it is too thick.
- Stir the mixture now and then during fermentation. Turkish sources warn that unstirred boza can turn bitter.
- Use a wooden spoon and a plastic or glass container. Metal is said to interfere with the fermentation.
- The boza is ready when the surface looks foamy and it smells pleasantly sour.
Variations
- Make it with millet instead of bulgur, the way traditional bozahanes do. Millet boza can even ferment on its own, without added yeast.
- Corn, wheat, or barley work as well. Each grain changes the flavor and the color a little.
- Stir a packet of vanilla in with the final sugar for a softer flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Serve boza chilled in a glass with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoonful of roasted chickpeas, called leblebi, on top. Some people add nuts or dried fruit as well.
Drink it from the glass or eat it with a spoon, since it is nearly as thick as a pudding. The other classic Turkish winter drink is Salep, and the two share the season.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Keep boza in the fridge, where it stays good for up to a week, though it tastes best within the first few days.
The cold slows the fermentation but does not stop it, so the drink keeps thickening and slowly turns more sour. Loosen it with a splash of cold water before serving if it has thickened.
Boza is a make-ahead drink by nature, since it needs a day of fermenting anyway, so plan for that when you want to serve it.
Recipe FAQs
Only slightly. Natural fermentation produces around 1% alcohol, and the longer it ferments, the further that develops. Keep it refrigerated and drink it within a few days to keep it mild.
Not as written, because the starter uses warm milk. Swap the milk for water or a plant milk and the whole recipe becomes plant based.
It fermented too long or the room was too warm. Move it to the fridge as soon as the surface turns foamy, and balance the tartness with a little extra sugar.
The usual causes are expired yeast, a base that was still warm when the starter went in, or a room that is too cold. Check the yeast date, cool the base fully, and give the pot a warmer spot.
Related Recipes
For more traditional Turkish Food Recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious, unique, and nutritious fermented beverage "Boza" as much as you enjoy drinking it! 🙂
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Turkish Boza Drink
Ingredients
- 2 cups bulgur wheat
- ½ cup rice
- 8 cups water
- ½ teaspoon fast action dried yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar (for flavoring)
- 1 cup water (for consistency)
- cinnamon and roasted chickpeas (leblebi) (for garnish)
Instructions
Cook and Strain the Base
- Rinse the bulgur and rice with cold water, then add them to a pot along with 8 cups of water.
- Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until mushy.
- When cooked, pass it through a sieve using a back of a wooden spoon. Discard the solids.
- Let the sieved bulgur mixture cool completely at room temperature.
Ferment and Serve
- To make the yeast mixture that will ferment the boza, mix warm milk, fresh yeast, and sugar in a separate bowl.
- Transfer the cooled bulgur mixture to a large pot. Mix with the yeast mixture and cover the pot. Let it sit in a dark place for 24 hours.
- Occasionally open the lid of the boza mixture to allow air to circulate and help it ferment.
- When the boza is fermented, adjust the consistency by adding sugar and water gradually.
- Serve the boza chilled with roasted chickpeas and cinnamon.
Notes
- Let the strained base cool completely before adding the starter. Heat kills the yeast.
- Use fresh yeast that is not expired, and warm milk, never hot.
- Ferment in a cool, dark place, in a glass or plastic container with a wooden spoon. Metal is said to interfere with fermentation.
- Stir the mixture now and then during fermentation, or it can turn bitter.
- It is ready when the surface looks foamy and it smells pleasantly sour.
- Too sour? It fermented too long or too warm. Move it to the fridge sooner and add a little extra sugar.
- For a vegan boza, use water or plant milk in the starter.
- Keeps in the fridge for up to a week, best within the first few days. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of cold water.
- Serve chilled with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas (leblebi).
Sylvia says
Sounds intriguing, will definitely give it a go soon! Thank you for the recipe.