Booza

Booza is an ice cream variety that has its origins in the Levant and the Middle East. Apart from the standard ingredients such as milk, cream, and various flavoring additions, booza is thickened with salep—a thickener made from the orchid root—and mastic gum, a resin obtained from mastic trees.

The ingredients are then pounded with wooden mallets until the mixture achieves its unique, stretchy consistency. Because no eggs or air are added, booza results in flavor-packed ice cream, with an amazingly dense and creamy texture. The most traditional flavor of booza is known as kashta or qashta—which is a variety of clotted cream often flavored with orange blossom and rose water—but standard flavorings also include fruit, chocolate, and nuts.

Often dubbed as one of the oldest ice cream varieties, booza has recently caught up outside its place of origin, primarily in the United States. Similar ice cream varieties are found in Turkey (dondurma) and Greece (kaimaki).