20 SAVEUR.COM PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIRIAM BERGER
EAT THE WORLD
Made from milk
blended with
starchy orchid-root
fl our and mastic
gum, Syrian-style
booza stretches
and folds more
like taff y than ice
cream.the Syrian and Jordanian branches is “friendly,” he
says, but his string of Bakdash locations aren’t a direct
franchise. The Syrian owners never registered an
international trademark, Mustafa explains, so Bak-
dash branches grew across the Middle East, many
without the Syrian owners’ permission.
Mustafa says he’s committed to keeping as much of
the Syrian traits in his shops as possible, mimicking
the styles of spoons, the uniforms, and the black-
and-white-striped decor. But those who know the
original can taste the difference. When Mustafa could
no longer impor t from Sy ria, he says, “ We turned to
Jordanian sources for the raw ingredients instead.”
The milk in Jordan has a naturally fattier structure
than that from the grass-fed cows of Syria, and the
booza turns out significantly richer and creamier.
Still, when Sy ria ns who’ve tasted the orig ina l booza
visit Mustafa’s shops, they tell him it conjures mem-
ories, some tinged with sadness. “When they come
here, they remember their home.”
JORDANSAUDI
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