Booza
| Type | Ice cream |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Milk, salep, mastic |
 Cookbook: Booza  Media: Booza | |
Booza (Arabic: البوظة العربية), or Arabic mastic ice cream, is an elastic, sticky, high level melt resistant ice cream, which should delay melting in the hotter climates of the Arab world, where it is most commonly found.
The ice cream is usually and traditionally made with an ingredient called Salep, which provides it with the ability to resist melting at the speed that other regular ice creams are affected by. Salep is also a primary ingredient in the Turkish version of this style of ice cream called Dondurma, and the Persian version called Bastani.
Iraq
In Iraq, it is customary to eat the ice cream on square wooden sticks.
Syria, Lebanon and Occupied Palestine
Booza is prevalent mainly in Syria, Lebanon, and Arab settlements in the Galilee region of Northern Palestine, because of their proximity to the regional growth of a tree called Pistacia lentiscus. There are gum Arabic ice cream vendors who tend to show tourists how they grind the focus ingredient, mastic, and pound it while singing and playing music.
Ancient Damascus
In the Old City of Damascus, there is a shop called "sanctuary" that is famous throughout the Arab world for its ice cream and gum Arabic. It is a popular attraction for tourists.