Traditional Bulgarian foods

Bulgarian cuisine is exceptionally diverse and delicious.

COLD CUTS

Lukanka - a Bulgarian (sometimes spicy) salami unique to Bulgarian cuisine. Sujuk - Often spelled sucuk, sujuk is a dry, spicy sausage eaten from the Balkans to the Middle East and Central Asia. Black pudding is a type of blood sausage commonly eaten in Britain and Ireland.

SOUPS Tarator - In Bulgaria, tarator is a popular meze (appetizer) but also served as a side dish. Bob chorba - A soup made from dry beans, onions, tomatoes, chubritza or dzhodzhen (spearmint) and carrots. Shkembe chorba - Tripe soup is a common dish in Balkan, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish, and Eastern European cuisine. According to folklore, it is said to be a hangover remedy.

SALADS AND RELISHES Shopska salad - A traditional Bulgarian cold salad popular throughout the Balkans and Central Europe. It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion/scallions, raw or roasted peppers, sirene (white brine cheese), and parsley. Snow white salad or Milk salad - A traditional Bulgarian salad, which is made of strained Bulgarian yogurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, usually cooking oil, dill, sometimes roasted peppers, walnuts and parsley. Kyopolou - A popular Bulgarian and Turkish relish made principally from roasted eggplants and garlic.

SWEETS The name Halva is used for several related varieties of the Middle Eastern dessert. Tahan / Tahini halva is the most popular version, available in two different types with sunflower and with sesame seed.

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Bulgaria as a homeland of yogurt has a strong tradition in the making of a variety of dairy products.

MAIN DISHES

Gyuvech - A Turkish, Bosnian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian oven-baked meat and vegetable stew similar to ratatouille. It is made with meat, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, herbs, and spices. Sarma - A dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat, or a sweet dish of filo dough wrapped around a filling often of various kinds of chopped nuts. Traditional Bulgarian grill (Skara) - Kyufte - Meatballs of minced beef and pork meat, seasoned with traditional spices and shaped in a flattened ball.

BREADS AND PASTRIES

Baklava - A rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. Simit - A circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds or, less commonly, poppy or sunflower. Kozunak - A traditional Romanian and Bulgarian sweet bread. It is usually prepared for Easter in Bulgaria. Click here to discover more Bulgarian cuisine.