Do you have a story to tell about Bulgarian food?? Come on and share it with us!
Like many Eastern European countries, Bulgarian food is a mix of the traditional with increasingly international influences. If you are in Bulgaria and try some great food that you would like to recommend, or know of any great Bulgarian recipes, please tell us all about it. We love to hear all of your great stories about your experiences with the food in Bulgaria.
As well as the traditional Bulgarian food, tourist resorts have several international restaurants selling popular dishes from around the world. Some restaurants even combine the best ideas and spices from international influences and merge them with the traditional dishes.
Seafood
The long coastline with the Black Sea means that Bulgarian fishermen are able to catch fish and bring it to market quickly. Fresh fish is a popular part of the traditional Bulgarian cuisine and many restaurants at coastal resorts specialize in fish dishes. Not only is the food tasty, but eating seafood at the side of the sea makes it taste even better.
One great fish dish to try is fried whitebait. This is very tasty sitting on the beach and enjoying a cold beer or two to wash it down. Other great dishes include barbeque trout, and stuffed carp and vegetables. Other popular fish used in Bulgarian food include bluefish, carp, chub, mackerel, and perch.
Stews
The farmers who have lived in Bulgaria for hundreds of years enjoyed a diet based on a selection of stews and other dishes that can be slow cooked. Lamb is a popular ingredient of these dishes. You might want to watch out for gyuvech Kavarma, which is a tasty one-pot stew dish served in an earthenware bowl or pot.
Cabbage rolls and stuffed vegetables are traditional accompaniments to these dishes. The dishes will traditionally contain vegetables like cabbage, spinach, leek and onion. 
Kebabs
Like most countries in the Balkan region, kebabs are a popular part of the Bulgarian diet. Both lamb and pork are commonly used, with the meat shaped into a patty and cooked on a spit. The main types of kebab are shish, kyufte or kebapche kebabs. Chefs usually serve kebabs with pita breads and salad.
Vegetarian Dishes
Vegetarians will love the great shopska salad. This is a traditional Bulgarian salad consisting of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, peppers, sirene or feta cheese and parsley.
Another popular vegetarian dish in Bulgaria is the toasted cheese sandwich. The toaster presses the sandwich while it cooks, and restaurants often serve it with a fresh salad. Vegetarians might also like Banista, a type of flaky dough and cheese pastry that is a popular breakfast food.
Drinks
Bulgaria might not be as famous for its wines as France, but it does have some great vintages that make a tasty accompaniment to the great Bulgarian food. Red wine is extremely popular in Bulgaria, much more than white wine. Many traditional folk songs sing about red wine, but the only one to sing about white wine has lyrics wishing it was red!
Another popular traditional drink is Rakia, or Rakija. This is a strong alcoholic drink made from distilled fermented fruit and is popular all over the Balkan region. Some of the popular flavors include slivovica from plums, kajsijevaca from apricots and lozavaca from grapes.
Traditional Bulgarian food offers a range of tasty dishes that many visitors love to try in the great restaurants in the popular tourist areas. Make sure you try a wide variety of the local food and drink when you visit Bulgaria to find out for yourself how good it is. Once you are convinced, tell us and let us know what you think.
Thanks to www.ImagesFromBulgaria.com for the use of some of their images on this site.
Have a great story about Bulgarian food or a great recipe to tell us about?Do you have a great story about this? Share it! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
love banitsa
Not rated yet Back to top of Bulgarian food stories page
|