Boza: Warm taste of slowness, memory and Istanbul nights

Winter has begun to make itself truly felt. As the air grows colder, one’s mind turns first to watching the outside world through a window misted with breath; we imagine snow falling slowly under the streetlamps, drifting into the deep silence of the night. And right at the heart of this winter scene, a familiar taste that has accompanied Turkish nights for centuries quietly returns: boza.

Once the quintessential Ottoman “winter drink,” boza has seen an unexpected revival in Türkiye in recent years. It is no longer viewed merely as a nostalgic memory, but as a warm emblem of a rediscovered culture of slowness. Within the Slow Food philosophy, rooted in local, traditional, patiently crafted flavors, boza stands out as one of the most distinctive beverages of Türkiye’s Ottoman heritage. Freshly prepared at home and savored with great pleasure, this humble drink becomes a unique social ritual that gathers friends around it and forms new circles of conversation.

In recent years, not only have boza shops multiplied, but street vendors pushing their traditional boza carts have also returned. Old-style copper ladles have become visible again; the scent of roasted chickpeas drifting through neighborhoods completes the call of the boza seller and small nut shops, an essential companion to the drink, have begun to flourish once