booya

booya n, also attrib Also sp booyah, booyaw, less freq booja(h), boolyaw, bouja, boulyaw, bouya, boyoo, boyou [Pronc-spp for CanFr bouillon < Fr bouillon broth, soup; cf DCan bouillon] chiefly MI, WI, MN

A dish of stewed meat and vegetables; an occasion at which this is served.

1895 Forest & Stream 45.512 MN, And then we made a “booyaw”—that’s the way it’s pronounced hereabouts anyhow. . . Rube had brought along his big kettle, and in that he concocted the divinest mess of venison, partridge, rabbit and squirrel, mixed with potatoes and onions, that ever fulfilled to hungry man’s stomach the promise it gave to his nostrils. 1898 Grand Forks Daily Herald (ND) 18 June 3/2, The Dual City Booyaw club will give its first excursion of the season down the river. . . “Booyaw” is the French name for soup, and the boys say that they are going to have lots of it. 1910 Escanaba Morning Press (MI) 24 Nov 1/7, The eight . . are going to hold the biggest “booyaw” in the history of the upper peninsula, which is the “booyaw” belt. The spelling here given is the pronunciation adopted on Lake Superior for the French bouillon but a “booyaw” is not exactly a soup. 1914 Brainerd Daily Dispatch (MN) 25 Sept 5/3, A booyah is what the hoboes call a jungle stew. . . We were all in favor of a boojah next day. 1916 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh WI) 21 Oct 4/3, The piece de resistance . . was a mudhen “booya.” 1930 Appleton Post–Crescent (WI) 4 Oct 8/1, St. Martha Household, Order of Martha . . . will hold a “booya” Sunday at the home of Mrs. M. Gayhart. 1938 FWP Guide Minnesota 256, Those of Polish descent, who predominate in the western part of the city [=St. Cloud], delight in colorful church festivals at which they feast on bouja (meat and vegetable stew) of their ancestors. 1940 Brown Amer. Cooks 414, Hunters in the Michigan woods practically live on a kind of hunters’ stew which is called, variously, “Boulyaw,” “Boyou,” or “Booyaw.” 1950 WELS Suppl. 1 Inf, csWI, Booya—A stew, usually made with wild game, especially rabbit or squirrel meat, pieces of the meat left in the broth; 1 Inf, cnWI, Booya—stew made for a large gathering at which each one contributes some ingredients. Contains meat and vegetables. 1964 Wilson Deepdown 43 nwID (as of 1931), Mother completely won John’s and Joe’s hearts with a slow-cooked stew of deer shanks, rabbit, blue grouse, and about seven vegetables. She called it Minnesota boolyaw, and dipped it from an iron kettle that had been her grandmother’s. 1965 Bee (Phillips WI) 19 Aug 1/4, Following the meeting a lunch of chicken booya was served and card games were played. 1968 DARE (Qu. H45) Inf WI52, Chicken booyah [ˈbuja]—it’s like a stew; (Qu. FF16, . . Local contests or celebrations) Inf WI61, Kermis—a kind of homecoming[;] free dinner and free beer[;] serve chicken and beef booyah, and Belgian pie. 1974 (1976) Tlachac Hist. Belgian Settlements 35 ceWI,There was the famous “chicken boyoo”—a thick soup which was very tasty and appetizing. 1976 Ironwood Daily–Globe (MI) 22 Jan 11/6, The Lake Superior Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, Mass, [MI] will sponsor a rabbit booyaw at the post home Sunday. 1978 DARE File seMN, [On a flyer announcing a picnic:] American Legion Annual “All Beef” Booya Feed. Bring the whole family. 1983 Milwaukee Jrl. (WI) 13 Mar state sec 1 nwWI, Booyah, that delicious north-country soup made with chicken, veal, beef and lots of vegetables and things, was the main course as members of the Cozy Corners Snowmobile club of Moose Junction held their annual winter picnic. 1996 Ironwood Daily–Globe (MI) 25 Jan 5/2, Chili and Chicken Booja will be served at $1.50 a bowl. 2013–14 DARE Online Surv. WI Engl. WI (Qu. H36, Kinds of soup favored around here—any specialties?) 6 Infs, Booyah; (Qu. H45, Dishes made with meat, fish, or poultry that everybody around here would know, but that people in other places might not:) 2 Infs, Booyah, 1 Inf, Bouya; (Qu. H50, Dishes made with beans, peas, or corn that everybody around here knows, but people in other places might not:) 1 Inf, Booyah. [7 of 104 eligible Infs who responded to these questions, from 6 of 33 represented target communities] 2015 DARE File ceWI, [Sign:] Chaudoir’s Dock. . . Chicken Booyah Sat.—Sun.