We went to a small country fair today and I bought a bottle of bragă. Braga is the Romanian version of boza, a really bizarre refreshing drink. It's made by fermenting a dough made out of wheat bran and corn flour. The peculiar aroma is created by a cocktail of Bacillum Coli and Sacharomyces.
I never drank bragă before, but I knew about it - it's first mentioned by Xenophon of Athens (of the The Tousand fame) but it's history goes back way before Ancient Greece, to the Mesopotamians of 9000 years ago.
Now, the drink.
It is thick, with a smooth texture. It smells of fermentation, a little like a mild cheese, a little like flour. Not a very appealing smell, but not repulsing.
As for the taste, I was afraid it was going to be like one of those malt beverages (which I can't stand) but I was lucky. The taste is like that aroma of flour that lingers in the kitchen when you're baking bread is transformed in a cold smoothie. And a little sweet and a little sour. It goes down really easy.
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