Oranges from Izmir

Today I was in the oldest part of Istanbul, shopping in the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Spice Market.  I was absolutely determined to go to Vefa Bozacisi (in Vefa), a neighborhood not too far from the tourist attractions of Sultanahmet.  I had first learned about Boza when I came in the Summer of 2008.  I read in some Turkish foodie magazine that boza is a fermented drink of Albanian origin made from grains, which is then sweetened and flavored.  The most famous Boza is from Vefa Bozacisi, which makes their boza with millet, and I really wanted to go there and try it.  However, it is a Winter time drink, so I was really disappointed by the fact that I couldn't try something that sounded that cool when I heard about it in the middle of July.  Ever since then I have been eager to return to Istanbul in Winter just to drink boza.  So finally my day came.  I started out shopping in the Grand Bazaar, the Kapilcarsi, which is my favorite shopping locale in the world, besides the Bazar Sabado in Mexico City (notice how they are all Bazaars?). It is my favorite place to buy jewelry, and I always walk out wtih something unique and beautiful.  I bought lots of gifts for my family (and myself) and left very satisfied.  My favorite purchase was my ring that is a huge bird head with a pearl necklace and turquise eyes and a beak.  I love birds these days, and whenever I see them in jewelry or other little trinkets I must have them.  Now I have one perched on my middle finger, and I really feel like it is giving me good energy. 

Anyway, after finally making my way through the Egyptian Bazar (Misir Carsi) and ending up by the water, I took a walk over to Vefa for my long awaited Boza.  Even though Vefa is in the same general area of the city, what you walk through to get there makes it feel so far away.  In that part of the city (and maybe in other areas of Istanbul), many stores selling the same thing are clustered together in groups.  As I made my way through the various neighborhoods I passed the stores selling weights and measures and kitchen equipment.  After kitchen equipment there were a bunch of office supply stores selling staplers, paper, etc, which then broke into a group of erkek kuafors (barbers).  Then I found myself in an area of sewing machines, which then led to the university bookstores and supply shops. I knew that I was close when I saw the school related items, because I know that Suleymaniye Mosque was near a University, and the streets began to feel familiar again.  Among all of these specialized shop clusters are men selling fresh garlic, pears, pomegranates, melons, and garlic.  After making my way up to Vefa, I found the Boza shop.  It was really everything that I had imagined it to be, and I seemed to arrive at the right moment.  When I walked in there was only a father and son having an afternoon snack.  I took a glass of the boza and sat down at the old table in the shop, which does not seem to have changed since the 19th Century.  The drink is really thick and needs to be eaten with a spoon.  It was pudding-like, but with a slight vermented taste that was reminiscent of a sweet aged balsamic vinegar.  Pungent, but not too much so.  As I ate my boza and pondered my afternoon in Istanbul, the cafe filled up with older women, students, and more fathers and sons.  Soon I was finished, and noticed that there were people waiting for a chance to sit and enjoy their fermented millet pudding drink.  My only regret is not knowing that I could have asked for dried toasted chickpeas to stir into the drink, because everyone else knew that secret, and I couldn't figure out where they had gotten them from and how I had missed them on the menu.  The bottom line is that there is nothing like Istanbul at 4 pm in November, when the sun starts to set over the Golden Horn, and you are enjoying a glass of Boza at the crossroads of civilization. 

PS- I would like to tell everyone to follow me on Twitter. Emma and I each have our own accounts, and we also tweet for Kitchen Caravan.  While I am traveling, you can follow me at SophiaBrittan on Twitter. I say this because I often will snap photos on my phone and tweet them right then and there.  It takes me a little bit more energy to download the pictures, edit them, and then add them to my blog entries. I will go back and do that also, but be patient with me!