Boza: Istanbul’s Winter Drink and the Vefa Bozacısı Story

On cold winter evenings, Istanbul’s street sellers once carried boza from door to door. This thick, pale yellow drink comes from fermented grain. It tastes sweet and slightly sour, and Turks top it with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.

It is an old drink of the Turkic world. In Istanbul, one shop has poured it in the same spot since 1876.

Boza, a Malt Drink With Leblebi and Cinnamon

Put simply, it is a malt drink. In Turkey, makers ferment millet, wheat or bulgur, or maize, and the result has a thick, almost pudding-like texture. The Istanbul style is sold as a non-alcoholic drink, with a gently acidic, sweet flavor.

The classic topping is leblebi, roasted chickpeas, with a dusting of cinnamon. Together, they add crunch and warmth to the soft, tangy drink.

Boza, a drink older than the Ottomans

People in Anatolia and Mesopotamia have fermented grain drinks for thousands of years. The name itself is old too. Later, the drink spread with Turkic peoples to the Caucasus and the Balkans.

It reached its golden age under the Ottomans. Janissaries drank it on campaign as a warming drink, since it was weak enough to tolerate. Sultans, however, banned the strong, sour kinds more than once. Over time, the sweet, non-alcoholic version of the palace won.

Vefa Bozacısı, since 1876

The best-known address is Vefa Bozacısı, in the old Vefa district of Fatih, a short walk from the Süleymaniye Mosque. Hacı Sadık Bey, who came to Istanbul from Prizren, opened the shop in 1876. His descendants still run it under the same name. Inside, among the wood and tiles, look for the glass Atatürk drank from here in 1937, still kept on display.

Come in winter, because this is a cold-season drink. Our guide to Turkey in February pairs it with salep and the hammams. Traditionally, makers did not sell it in summer, since it spoils in the heat; instead, they offered grape juice or lemonade. Refrigeration has changed that, but a winter evening is still the best time.

A street seller in a Pamuk novel

The street seller has become a symbol of old Istanbul. For example, Orhan Pamuk made a boza vendor, Mevlut Karataş, the hero of his novel A Strangeness in My Mind. Read it before you go, then drink a glass in Vefa.

For another warm winter drink, try salep, made with orchid flour, as described in our guide to Turkish ice cream, and see more cold-season ideas in Istanbul in winter.

Chestnuts, Salep and Coffee After Your Boza

Boza has good company on a cold evening. First, look for the red carts of roasted chestnuts on the streets. Then, in cafés and pastry shops, order salep, the hot, creamy drink thickened with orchid flour. Also, behind the Spice Bazaar, buy freshly ground Turkish coffee at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. Read Istanbul in winter for more of the season. To taste more of the city, join our Istanbul food tour across two continents and two markets.

Vefa Bozacısı stands close to the route of our Mimar Sinan tour, which walks from the Şehzade Mosque to the Süleymaniye. Book it for a winter afternoon, and your guide can end the day with a glass of boza.