Latest Trend, Stretchy Ice Cream

All aboard the viral food wagon because we've got the latest breakthrough which you're certain to see on Instagram. That's right, stretchy ice cream. Sounds as if it has some weird kind of elastic in it or is something that shouldn't be eaten. You are wrong, here is the story. 

(Image credit: Gothamist) 

Booza

The name makes you think of spirits, wine and beer. A bit like a bar or pub, but you'll be wrong. Booza is, in fact, an ice cream style that was born in the Levant. Besides its playful name, it is super stretchy. Think of mozzarella sticks that are fresh from the fryer and the furthest pulling will not break the magical stretch. You're probably thinking that the texture of this ice cream is rubbery but it is in fact intensely creamy. The summer staple is that Booza melts slower than other ice creams so no need to shove it down your throat in the sunshine. 

The ingredients 

(Image credit: Vogue) 

It's confusing. What is the super secret ingredient that gives such a stretchy mixture? Booza is made with standard ice cream ingredients, you know, milk, cream and flavourings. However, it doesn't contain any egg. The base gets mixed with salep and mastic. Salep is a flour which is made from orchid root and mastic is a resin that comes from the mastic tree in Greece. Very exotic! Both of these ingredients give the signature stretch. I wonder who decided to add those ingredients into a normal ice cream mix. 

When you think of ice cream, you think of freezing cold temperatures. This is because most ice creams contain additives that allow them to be scooped at really cold temperatures but Booza is best served 20 degrees warmer than most ice creams. This is due to the product needing to be 'agitated' or stretched by hand before scooping. Every scoop you get is technically handmade with love! Maybe we should collaborate and make a Gookie Dough flavour?

What are your thoughts on stretchy ice cream? Let us know in the comments below!