Bulgarian cuisine is part of the cuisine of Southeast Europe, sharing characteristics with other Balkan cuisines. Bulgarian cooking traditions are diverse because of geographical factors such as climatic conditions suitable for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Aside from the variety of local Bulgarian dishes, Bulgarian cuisine shares a number of dishes with its neighboring countries, in particular with Turkish and Greek cuisine.[1]
Main courses are very typically water-based stews, either vegetarian or with lamb, goat meat, veal, chicken, or pork. Deep-frying is not common, but grilling—especially of different kinds of sausages—is prominent. Pork is common, often mixed with veal or lamb, although fish and chicken are also widely used. While most cattle are bred for milk production rather than meat, veal is popular for grilling meat appetizers (meze) and in some main courses. As a substantial exporter of lamb, Bulgaria's own consumption is notable, especially in the spring.[7]
Similar to other Balkan cultures, the per-capita consumption of yogurt (Bulgarian: кисело мляко, romanized: kiselo mlyako, lit. 'sour milk') among Bulgarians is traditionally higher than the rest of Europe. The country is notable as the historical namesake for Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a microorganism chiefly responsible for the local variety of dairy products.[8]Sirene (сирене), a white brine cheese similar to feta, is also a popular ingredient used in salads and a variety of pastries.
Holidays are often observed in conjunction with certain meals. On Christmas Eve, for instance, tradition requires vegetarian stuffed peppers and cabbage leaves sarmi. New Year's Eve usually involves cabbage dishes, Nikulden (Day of St. Nicholas, December 6) involves fish (usually carp), while Gergyovden (Day of St. George, May 6) is typically celebrated with roast lamb.
Banitsa – baked pastry made of layered stuffing and phyllo. There are many varieties with different names, with arguably the most famous one being with eggs, sirene, and yogurt.[9]
Tutmanik – similar to pita, made with yeast dough and milk, but with white cheese.
Milinki (singular: milinka) – bread roll type pastry with eggs and sirene
Princess with minced meat – open-faced baked sandwich with minced meat, and possibly some yellow cheese on top
Princess with yellow cheese – open-faced baked sandwich with yellow cheese on top
Princess with eggs and cheese – open-faced baked sandwich with egg and sirene mixture on top
Mekitsi (singular: mekitsa) – deep-fried dough pastry, typically served with jam, honey, sirene, or icing sugar
French toast (Purjena filia) – bread dipped in eggs and milk (either cow's milk or yogurt) and fried in oil
Kazanlak doughnuts – a specific type of doughnuts, from the town of Kazanlak
Buhti (singular: buhta) – deep-fried dough balls, often served with jam, honey, or sirene
Langidi (singular: langida) – somewhat similar to American-style pancakes, soft and eggy
Palachinki (singular: palachinka) – Bulgarian-style pancakes that are thinner than American pancakes and sometimes rolled around some stuffing
Katmi (singular: katma) – another variant of Bulgarian pancakes, which are bigger and thicker and are rolled around stuffing
Popara – might be made from rusks, bread, or kozunak with tea, milk, or sour milk (Bulgarian yogurt). Quite different from other Bulgarian breakfasts, this one was very popular during the 20th century, and many Bulgarians remember this dish with fondness and childhood nostalgia.
Shopska salad – a common salad of chopped cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with white cheese[23]
Snezhanka ("Snow White salad") – chopped cucumbers with yogurt, dill, garlic, and often walnuts[24]
Turshiya (also torsi) – pickled vegetables, such as celery, beets, cauliflower, and cabbage, popular in wintertime; variations are selska turshiya (country pickle) and tsarska turshiya (king's pickles)[25]
Sauces, relishes, and appetizers
Lyutenica is a traditional Bulgarian sauce made from tomatoes and peppers
Lyutenitsa (also lyutenitza) – purée of tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots, often served on bread and topped with white cheese[4]
Kyopulu (also kyopolou) – roasted eggplant (aubergine) and bell peppers, mashed with parsley, garlic, and other ingredients[26]
Mussels in butter – with onion and fresh herbs; traditionally from Sozopol
Skara (grill)
Shishcheta (left) and Cheverme grill from the Rhodopes (right)
Kyufte – meatballs of minced pork meat, seasoned with traditional spices and shaped in a flattened ball
Kebapche – similar to meatballs, but seasoned with cumin and shaped in a stick
Parjola – pork steak, chop, or flank
Shishcheta – marinated pieces of chicken or pork and vegetables
Karnache – a type of sausage with special spices
Nadenitsa – a type of sausage with special spices
Tatarsko kyufte – stuffed meatballs
Nevrozno kyufte – very piquant meatballs
Chicken in caul
Cheverme – used in celebrations such as weddings, graduations, and birthdays; a whole animal, traditionally a pig, but also chicken or a lamb, is slowly cooked in an open fire, rotated manually on a wooden skewer from 4 to 7 hours
Meshana skara (mixed grill plate) – consists of kebapche, kyufte, shishche, and karnache or nadenitsa
Grilled vegetables – usually a garnish or a side dish
Sirene – soft and salty white brine cheese that appears in many Bulgarian dishes[27]
Kashkaval – hard yellow cheese, often used in appetizers;[10]kashkaval Vitosha is made from cow's milk, while kashkaval Balkan is made from ewe's milk[12]
The name halva (халва) is used for several related varieties of the Middle Eastern dessert. Tahan / tahini halva (тахан / тахини халва) is the most popular version, available in two different types with sunflower and with sesame seed. Traditionally, the regions of Yablanitsa and Haskovo are famous manufacturers of halva.
^Stefan Detchev, "From Istanbul to Sarajevo via Belgrade—A Bulgarian Cookbook of 1874", doi:10.1163/9789004367548_015 in Earthly Delights: Economies and Cultures of Food in Ottoman and Danubian Europe, c. 1500–1900, 2018, Balkan Studies Library 23, ISBN978-90-04-36754-8, p. 396
^Iskra Velinova, "The Pleasures of Being Global: Cultural Consumption of Pizza and Sushi in a Bulgarian City", Approaching Consumer Culture, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-00226-8_8, p. 190
^ A considerable number of dishes belonging to the "Bulgarian" cuisine are in fact borrowed from the Ottomans. Turkish cuisine forms the core of Balkan cuisine. For more see: Evgenia Krăsteva-Blagoeva, Tasting the Balkans: Food and Identity in Region, Regional Identity and Regionalism in Southeastern Europe, Part 2, Ethnologia Balkanica, Editors Klaus Roth, Ulf Brunnbauer, Lit Verlag, 2009, ISBN3643101074, p. 33.
^Kay, p. 57; Ross, p. 67; Kelsey Kinser, Vegan Beans from Around the World: 100 Adventurous Recipes for the Most Delicious, Nutritious, and Flavorful Bean Dishes Ever (Ulysses Press, 2014), p. 29.
