In addition to the amazing nature, Bulgaria is famous for its national cuisine. Perhaps the most vivid impression of the rest in this country, tourists call it the local treats.

National character

Bulgarian cuisine is varied and versatile. The influence of Turkey and Greece is clearly felt in it. The countries are close geographically and are strongly linked by historical ties. In addition, in the cuisine of Bulgaria, there are notes of national cuisines of Hungary, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Italy. Bulgarian dishes have oriental chic, Slavic flavor, Georgian generosity and oriental piquancy.

For a long time in this country, special stoves have been used for cooking. They are called skare. As a result of the tandem of the skillful hands of the chef and this oven, amazingly tasty dishes are obtained, cooked in pots or on a grill (grill). Shish kebabs, kebabs, sausages, kharcho soups, basturma are especially popular here. The fish is generally fried on a wire rack as a whole, and so it is served on the table.

Vegetable country

Many people call Bulgaria this way for the abundance of vegetables that grow here. The climate is conducive to the cultivation of tomatoes and eggplants, cucumbers and bell peppers, carrots and potatoes, zucchini and various types of cabbage. That is why the Bulgarian cuisine is famous. Various salads are prepared here, bright and incredibly tasty. Vegetables are used in different forms: they are boiled, stewed, fried, baked in the oven or on a wire rack, pickled and eaten raw.

Bulgarian cuisine always surprises tourists with an abundance of stuffed vegetables. Bulgarians all over the world are famous for their ability to cook delicious and aromatic vegetable dishes. What are the stuffed eggplants alone! Inside - chopped aromatic garlic, the most useful fresh herbs, cheese, hot peppers, tomatoes. From above everything is sprinkled with a mixture of vegetable oil and spices.

The national dish is the Shopska salad, which consists of a variety of vegetables (tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, parsley and feta cheese). Bulgarian cuisine is famous for its correct recipe. You will never find fatty high-calorie mayonnaise in salads. As a rule, they are all seasoned with a special sauce, which consists of wine vinegar, vegetable (olive) oil and fresh herbs.

Cabbage rolls are also present in the national cuisine of Bulgaria. This dish is called sarmi. Pickled mutton or pork is wrapped in grape leaves in a special way. In addition to the meal, there is always a fresh vegetable salad, cheese platter and red wine.

Bulgaria is often called a paradise for vegetarians and adherents of proper nutrition. The abundance of vegetable dishes is not conducive to weight gain. This confirms the appearance of most Bulgarian women, slender and harmoniously built.

First meal

There is no fat content and nutritional value familiar to a Russian person in Bulgarian soups. The warm summer climate led to the absence of fatty meats, rich broths and a large amount of potatoes in the first courses. The first courses of the Bulgarian cuisine are light aromatic salads, which are rich in fresh herbs and a variety of savory spices.

Tarator is a world famous Bulgarian soup. It has an incredibly pleasant light taste and rich aroma. There are a huge number of recipes for this dish. However, the main ingredients are always coarsely chopped fresh cucumbers, chopped walnuts, fresh dill and parsley, aromatic garlic and sour milk.

Any restaurant serving Bulgarian cuisine serves soups even in the morning. Tarator is often used by Bulgarians for breakfast. Most of their soups are somewhat reminiscent of our Russian okroshka. They are served cold and with plenty of fresh herbs.

Present in the national cuisine of Bulgaria and meat soups. It is customary to call them here chowders. They are prepared in meat broth with the addition of boiled meat, meatballs, offal, boiled or smoked sausages.

Cheeses

The abundance of cheeses is also characteristic of the Bulgarian cuisine. Cheese is especially fond of local chefs. It is added to most salads, meat, fish dishes and baked goods. It is used for stuffing vegetables and for making pancakes. Due to the ability of this cheese to combine with most products, its use is fully justified and acceptable.

Meat dishes

Despite the fact that Bulgaria is famous for its abundance of vegetables, meat and fish dishes are also popular and loved by the local population. The national Bulgarian cuisine uses pork, lamb, lamb and beef. The meat, of course, goes well with vegetable side dishes. It is stewed, baked, fried on a wire rack over an open fire, marinated for barbecue.

Bulgarian cooks make sausages of fantastic taste from dried or stewed meat - these are lukanka, dried crushed meat, old man, babek and others. Vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, onions and garlic are added to them. As a rule, sausages are served with vegetable salads and cheese cuts. Cold or hot, they are amazingly tasty and aromatic.

Very tasty Bulgarians prepare barbecue using a wide variety of meat. Sischeta is a popular dish here, made from several types of meat over an open fire with the addition of vegetables. There is a clear influence of Georgian and Armenian cuisines in the methods of marinating kebabs.

Poultry dishes

Poultry dishes occupy a special place in the considered cuisine. It is baked, stews and kebabs, salads and casseroles are prepared from it. Most often, a scara is involved in cooking, which is a grate installed over an open fire.

Also, the Bulgarian cuisine is popular with sac-food. This incredibly delicious dish is prepared in a special clay pot. The recipe contains meat, vegetables, sausage and ham. All this is flavored with herbs and aromatic spices. Charcoal cooking. Served directly in an earthenware skillet.

Fish dishes

Bulgarian recipes with fish as the main one are also popular. It is especially often prepared on the southern coast. The most famous fish dish is palakia. These are pieces of fish fillet stewed with fresh vegetables.

Pastries and sweet dishes

Bulgarians especially respect sweets and pastries. All kinds of pies and pies, bagels and cakes, pastries and fruit desserts, halva and baklava - there are a huge number of options for sweet recipes.

Banitsa is one of the famous desserts. This dish is a puff pastry stuffed with feta cheese with aromatic herbs and herbs. Buns with various fillings of fruit jams, marmalade, and cheeses are very popular among Bulgarians.

And, of course, in such a hot summer country like Bulgaria, one cannot help but love ice cream. The most popular option is with fruit.

Spices and herbs

Greens are almost always present in Bulgarian cuisine. Even baked goods with cheese filling will definitely be flavored with aromatic fresh herbs. It is put in vegetable salads and cold first courses, in a kebab marinade and in a pot of stew.

Bulgarians do not abuse spices, preferring to use them in moderate and thoughtful quantities. Thyme, rosemary, smindukh (fenugreek) and all kinds of ready-made herbal mixtures are especially popular here.

Alcohol

We reviewed the range of dishes offered by the Bulgarian cuisine (photos are attached). Now I would like to focus on wines. The climate of this country favors the cultivation of grapes, which the Bulgarians are doing well. This country is famous throughout the world for its amazing range of aromatic red and white wines.

Surprising fact: the best red wine is grown exclusively in the south of the country. But the northern regions are famous, on the contrary, for the white varieties of this drink.

In addition to wines, spirits are also respected in Bulgaria, including brandy, brandy, and mastic. The latter is especially appreciated, which is an alcoholic drink, the strength of which reaches 47 degrees.

Rakia is a fortified homemade drink made from plums, apricots, peaches or grapes. Often nuts, honey, various fruits, anise or cherry tree fruits are added to it. This drink is prepared in special oak containers. The minimum cooking time for brandy is six months. Locals say that the longer the barrels with it remain closed, the more noble and aromatic the drink will turn out.

Low-alcohol drinks are also popular. For example, many Bulgarians appreciate the malt drink called boza. Its strength is only one percent. It is often used with kebabs and hot meat dishes.

Bulgaria is an amazingly beautiful and generous country. It is a true gourmet paradise. But if there is no way to visit it personally, then feel its flavor by tasting national dishes. Bulgarian cuisine in Moscow is presented in many restaurants, including Baba Marta, Stage, Vitello, Mekhana Bansko, Pliska and others. Each restaurant employs professional chefs who are well aware of the national peculiarities of the Bulgarian cuisine.

Acquaintance with Bulgaria is not only the study of history and. It is also an immersion in the national cuisine, the dishes of which are famous for the variety and richness of flavors. For many tourists, it is the local treats that leave the most vivid impressions of the rest.

National characteristics

In fact, the national cuisine of Bulgaria related to the South Slavic but strong enough on her influenced by Turkish and Greek motives... This is due to the historical background, as well as the similarities in geography and initial products. But, in addition, the traditions of Armenia, Georgia and even Italy found their response, therefore the Bulgarian culinary art can be considered an individual direction.

The local cuisine is delicious and satisfying. It contains a lot of meat, vegetables, herbs and spices.... All this is cooked only over low heat, even with the simplest recipe. Ready meals have a pleasant aroma and taste, shaded with herbs and spices.

The menu is very varied. With the onset of summer, old potatoes disappear from the tables and are replaced by rice, pasta, and seasonal vegetables. Tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, onions, garlic are actively served. They add sheep and goat cheese, olive and sunflower oil, fruits, nuts, seafood.

Vegetable dishes

Bulgaria is a vegetable country, therefore only the freshest products are used in cooking. Very popular stuffed vegetables: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini... Mushrooms, cheeses, cottage cheese, onions, minced meat are taken as a filling for them. Interesting cooking stuffed peppers or locally - Chushka byurek... The filling for it is feta cheese, egg, garlic, finely chopped greens. The peppers themselves are stuffed, then breaded and fried. The result is an amazing dish that has nothing to do with its Russian counterpart.

Overview of cafes and restaurants in Nessebar

A truly national dish can be called Shopska salad... It contains tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, baked or fresh sweet peppers, lettuce, parsley - all covered with a grated cheese bedspread. Sheep salad has the same basic ingredients, but add ham, mushrooms and an egg to them. Salads are seasoned with olive oil and wine vinegar - the finished dish becomes more tasty and healthy.

The Bulgarian menu also includes stuffed cabbage rolls called Sarmi, which are prepared from grape and cabbage leaves. They are wrapped in pieces of spiced marinated pork or lamb and served with fresh vegetable salad, cheese platters and wine.

Dairy products

Fermented milk products occupy a special place in Bulgaria, they have no analogues in the whole world. The reason for this bulgarian lactobacillus- the only strain of lactobacilli of plant origin that does not take root in other regions of the planet. Bulgarian stick not only gives food an incomparable taste, but also has the property of prolonging life. The main lactic acid product is yogurt or jelly mlyako, which is often used in cooking.

Sour milk is used to prepare salads, soups and drinks. The most famous - Millechna Salad consisting of cucumbers, walnuts, dill and garlic. No less tasty soup Tarator- summer light soup, which has a composition similar to Milk salad, only more varied. Dishes based on yoghurt are easy to prepare, fresh and unique in taste.

Cheese is added to almost every dish on the Bulgarian menu, most often cheese or, in Bulgarian, a siren. It is put fresh or fried, baked, stuffed with vegetables, pancakes (butchers) and much more. Bulgarian cheeses go well with almost all main products, but the most famous cheese dish is Kashkaval Pane... Kashkaval is a mature yellow cheese that is breaded and fried in vegetable oil until crisp.

Fish and seafood

Bulgaria is a maritime country and Nessebar is a seaside town. Therefore, seafood dishes are widespread here, always freshly caught, deliciously prepared and offered at fairly low prices.

In Nessebar there are a number of restaurants specializing in the "sea" menu. Crabs, octopus, shrimps, shark fillets and other seafood are prepared according to the most original recipes. For example, mussels are offered fried and boiled. They are mixed with rice and get a kind of pilaf, or they are cooked in a shell with Roquefort sauce. All this is accompanied by a glass of fine wine and excellent service.

Fish dishes are beyond criticism. The fish is baked whole on scars, fried, stewed with vegetables or cooked in pots. Very popular in restaurants shark fillet... It is fried in breadcrumbs and served with potatoes flavored with fresh herbs. A famous fish dish is plakia, which is made from fish fillets stewed with onions, garlic, tomatoes and, of course, cheese. It turns out very appetizing, tasty and satisfying.

Scara

For cooking, Bulgarians traditionally use special oven with grate, called scara. This is a kind of "grill" with a tray on which you can cook everything: meat, fish, vegetables and even bake bread. The food is juicy and aromatic. Any good restaurant or, more correctly, mehana, prefers this culinary tool.

Many tourists are tempted to purchase a scarf. For a hostess, this is a simple and functional thing that costs little money - from 2 to 30 leva. You can bake whole fish on a skara, cook shish (shashlik) or kebapche (small sausages made from minced meat). Kebapche in Bulgaria it is considered one of the most popular dishes, which is served in almost all restaurants.

Gyuvech

In fact, gyuvech is fireproof clay pots with lids used in the preparation of dishes of the same name. The recipe is based on meat with the addition of all kinds of vegetables and seasonings. Kavarma is very popular. Ideally, it should be made from lamb, but in Bulgarian restaurants they prefer to cook it from pork with the addition of onions, peppers, herbs and dry white wine.

Vegetarian recipes for dishes in pots are also common, for example, shop-style feta cheese. For its preparation, take slices of Bulgarian feta cheese, tomatoes cut into rings and 1-2 pods of hot pepper. The dish is served in a pot, into which a chicken egg is driven in shortly before being taken out of the oven.

Sach

Sach is a frying pan made of unbaked clay, having a stand with handles and legs for serving... The pan is placed on coals or on an open fire, and sac dishes of meat, fish and vegetables are prepared in it. In Bulgaria, pork or chicken sac is usually served, but there are also recipes for cooking with three types of meat or no meat at all.

Vegetables include mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes. Potatoes are usually not added, but there are quite a few recipes, so there may be deviations from tradition. The ready-made sach is served on the table in the same dish, as they say "with heat, with heat", where it will sour for a long time and remain warm.

Being on vacation in Bulgaria for the first time, tourists ask themselves the question: what is the Bulgarian national cuisine and what should you definitely try?
The Bulgarian national cuisine has been forming for centuries. Food processing methods, seasonings and technologies used in cooking are a mixture of European and Asian cuisines.

Features of the national Bulgarian cuisine

Bulgarian salads and snacks

Is a national Bulgarian dish that is on the menu of any restaurant or cafe in Bulgaria. The composition of this salad includes: baked peppers, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley. The salad is seasoned with vegetable oil, the vegetables are sprinkled with abundant grated cheese on top, or cut into cubes. Optionally, you can ask to add hot pepper.

Snejanka salad Is a very light and low-calorie salad. It consists of finely chopped cucumbers, walnuts, dill and garlic seasoned with yoghurt (in Bulgarian - "jelly mlyako"). Snezhanka salad refers to cold salads, it is served after holding it in the refrigerator.

Snejanka salad

Kashkaval pane Is a classic Bulgarian dish. It is a breaded hard cheese. The peculiarity of this dish is a special type of cheese produced in Bulgaria, which does not melt when heated. Kashkaval Pan is often offered with sweet jam.

Kashkaval pane

Bulgarian national cuisine soups

Tarator- this is not easy soup, it is business card Bulgarian national cuisine. The ingredients for its preparation are: Bulgarian yogurt (jelly mlyako), chopped walnuts, finely chopped cucumbers, always a mixture of dill with garlic and a spoonful of olive oil. A tarator is a cold soup that does not need to be boiled quickly.

Traditional dish of Bulgarian cuisine - cold soup Tarator

Second courses of the Bulgarian national cuisine

Moussaka- This national Bulgarian meal resembles a Russian casserole, the main products for its preparation are potatoes cut into small cubes and minced meat, but in addition to them, various vegetables are used: tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants. Before cooking, the musaka is poured with a special gravy made from eggs and milk with the addition of toasted flour. There are options for moussaka without potatoes with other vegetables such as eggplant and tomatoes, or with pasta.

Gyuvech- the national Bulgarian food, which is prepared in special earthen vessels (pots) called gyuvech. This dish is a vegetable platter with the addition of finely chopped meat, most often pork, chicken or beef. Gyuvech can also be vegetarian. In some restaurants of St. Vlas, rice is added to its composition.

Imambayaldy

Imambayaldy Is an eggplant stuffed with vegetables, cooked in the oven or oven. Tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, herbs, onions are used for stuffing.

Under a strange name kyopoolu hides a wonderful appetizer of baked eggplant, pepper and tomato, seasoned with garlic, parsley and vegetable oil.

Traditional appetizer - Eggplant baked in Bulgarian style

Sirene in Shopski - Bulgarian national cuisine

Shop Siren- This national Bulgarian dish is prepared in clay pots. All ingredients are laid out in layers: feta cheese, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, eggs. The dish can be prepared with or without hot pepper, it is important to pay attention to this.

Must-haves to try from the Bulgarian national cuisine

Each mehana and restaurant of St. Vlas offers its own specialty. It is difficult to mention all the dishes in one article.

What definitely need to try in Bulgaria, of course

Sach is both an earthen pan and the name of a traditional Bulgarian national dish. Meat cooked with vegetables or mushrooms on sachet, believe me, will leave an unforgettable experience. The dish must be served in a hot frying pan. Sach can be meat or vegetarian, it all depends on the recipe of the chef and your preference.

Chushka burek- Bulgarian baked peppers, peeled from seeds and skins, stuffed with a mixture of feta cheese, cottage cheese, herbs and eggs, fried in breading until golden brown. Parsley, garlic and ground black pepper can be added to the filling. Correctly cooked chushka burek have a flattened shape and thin breading.
Banitsa Is a flour product made from thinly rolled unleavened dough with various fillings. The dough should be as thin as parchment. Each layer of dough is filled with filling, most often it is hard cheese or feta cheese. Banitsa are also offered with other types of fillings: nuts, herbs, vegetables, fruits, honey, etc.

Menu in restaurants of St. Vlas

In, the menu is everywhere written in 3 languages ​​(Bulgarian, Russian, English), not always correctly, but there will be no problems with understanding what to order. To make it easier to navigate, below is a translation of the main Bulgarian words from the menu:

• eggplant - patlant;
• Bulgarian pepper - ingots;
• zucchini - tikvichki;
• tomatoes - domati;
• cheese - kashkaval;
• feta cheese - siren;
• pork - piggy meso;
• chicken meat - saw;
• veal - telescope;
• lamb meat - agneshko;
• thick soup - chorba;
• cutlets - kyufta;
• short sausages - kebapchet.

Bulgarian national cuisine - Menu in one of the restaurants

Bulgarian national cuisine - cooking methods

• Scara is usually a dish cooked on the grill. But a scara is also a frying pan;
• Purzheno - fried;
• Liver - baked;
• Strangled - stewed
• Vareni - boiled.

The traditional Bulgarian national cuisine attracts with its simplicity without frills - the food in this country is hearty, not the most sophisticated, but surprisingly tasty.

Dishes are prepared mainly from pork and poultry, with the addition of eggs, natural yoghurt, soft cheese, fresh vegetables and herbs. They also say that food in Bulgaria is similar to the Mediterranean, because the local cuisine has always been significantly influenced by culinary traditions, Turkey and other neighboring countries.

So what food should you definitely try in Bulgaria when traveling? Consider the TOP 10 of the most popular, famous and delicious traditional national dishes.

10 best Bulgarian dishes

Banitsa

You can start your acquaintance with traditional Bulgarian dishes with popular snacks. Perhaps the most famous of them is banitsa - a delicious, fluffy and tender puff pie made from thin filo-free yeast dough.

Most often it acts as a filling for banitsa. The whipped egg mixture is poured between the layers of the dough. Thin pieces of cheese are spread on it. The more layers and the thinner the dough, the tastier the cake will be. In addition to the siren, meat, vegetables or even fruits can be put in the banitsa for filling.

It is better to try the pie with boza - a traditional one made from boiled grains (rye, wheat, oats, or others). It has a brown color, sour-sweet taste, thick consistency and contains, as a rule, no more than 1% alcohol.

Tarator

Tarator is one of the traditional dishes eaten in Bulgaria in hot weather. This popular soup is a kind of Russian okroshka. It does not require heat treatment, it is quickly prepared and infused for several hours.

To prepare the soup, take sour milk or yogurt, add chopped herbs (for example, mint), chopped fresh or pickled cucumbers, and sometimes walnuts to it. Grated or minced garlic adds a piquant flavor to the dish. According to the traditions of local cuisine, it is served cold to the table.

Saw with a beef (chicken with herbs)

If you think about what is delicious to eat in Bulgaria for fans of poultry meat, then first of all we remember a saw from a bilka - pieces of chicken stewed with the addition of butter.

This traditional Bulgarian food is prepared using whole cut poultry or parts of it, such as thighs, drumsticks or fillet pieces. Herbs give the food a special taste: basil and oregano, as well as the famous Bulgarian mixture called "Sharena salt".

Agnieszko baked with shot sarma

It is impossible to imagine the most delicious Bulgarian cuisine without fraction sarma - the famous traditional pilaf with offal of young lambs.

In different regions of Bulgaria, different varieties of rice are used for it: brown or white, round or long-grain. The meat ingredients are pre-washed, boiled separately, and crushed.

The pilaf is poured with a mixture of beaten eggs and sour milk and then baked in the oven or oven for several hours. The result is a dish with an unusually delicate texture and unique taste that you will definitely want to try in Bulgaria.

Puree from nuts and feta cheese

In Bulgaria, a country of amazing contrasts, snack pasta is very popular. One of the most delicious and popular dishes in this category is cheese and nut puree. Local homemade siren cheese is ground with walnuts.

Greens (dill and cilantro) and sweet bell peppers are added to the mixture if desired. This pasta is used as a sandwich. It should definitely be included in the list of dishes that you need to try in Bulgaria.

Sarmi

Many tourists are interested in what to try in Bulgaria that would be as similar to Russian cuisine as possible. And sarmi - a kind of famous analogue of our stuffed cabbage - is exactly the same option.

Sarmi has a dozen different recipes. For example, in winter, cabbage leaves are often used for cooking, and from late spring to autumn, grape leaves. The most popular fillings are chopped pork or poultry with vegetables, fried onions and fried rice with spices (salt, pepper, oregano). There are also vegetarian recipes for sarmis stuffed with vegetables, cheese or mushrooms.

Pelneni chushka with oriz (stuffed peppers with rice)

When listing the famous Bulgarian dishes, you should definitely mention stuffed peppers with rice.

There are two options for their preparation: with the addition of minced meat or only with rice and spices (vegetarian). The top and core of the peppers is removed, after which they are stuffed with minced rice, vegetables or mushrooms and baked in the oven.

About 15-20 minutes before cooking, a raw chicken or quail egg is broken into each pepper. In other national recipes, the dish is poured with egg-yoghurt sauce with flour and milk. The food turns out to be incredibly aromatic and tasty - these peppers are definitely worth trying!

Kufta and kebapche

Answering the question about what else to try on vacation from the popular dishes of the national cuisine of Bulgaria, one cannot ignore the grilled meat. In addition to the usual barbecue on an open fire, traditional cutlets of two types are fried here: kyufta and kebapche of round and oblong shape. In Bulgaria, it is a real hit for both restaurant and street food.

For cutlets you need minced pork and beef, onions, spices, eggs. There are many subtleties in cooking, ranging from the proportion of meat used to the time the minced meat “ripens” and the addition of special seasonings and other ingredients.

Cutlets are formed just before placing on the wire rack and grilled for 5-6 minutes on each side. Served with fried potatoes and grated feta cheese.

Kapama

The list of the most popular dishes in Bulgaria necessarily includes the famous kapama, which is complex in terms of the number of ingredients and preparation. This is a truly national food, an obligatory attribute of every Bulgarian festive table and an integral part of the local national cuisine.

Depending on the region in Bulgaria, this delicacy is prepared in different ways, but the main ingredients are several types of meat: chicken, pork, veal, rabbit. Blood sausage or the famous Bulgarian sudjuk are often added to kapama. Lard, sauerkraut, and rice are also used to prepare this intricate meal.

To add aroma and taste, spices and herbs are added: dill, cilantro, black pepper, bay leaf and others. All ingredients are laid out in layers in a clay dish and simmered in an oven in a clay brazier or cauldron for at least 4-5 hours.

Apple pie (apple pie)

The famous apple pie will become an obligatory item in the story about what is delicious to try in Bulgaria from the national food. As a rule, it is prepared here from shortcrust pastry, but there are variations with yeast dough.

For traditional Bulgarian pie, sour or sweet apples can be used. They are peeled and cut into slices and thin plastics. Some pie recipes use whole apples that have been cored.