Bulgarian Cuisine has grown out of wealth of culinary traditions, both local and foreign, combined in a way which is uniquely Bulgarian, offering cuisine with its own characteristics, originality and exceptional variety.
Bulgaria is famous for the best yogurt produced in the world. It's actually the Lactobacterium Bulgaricum which makes it popular all over the world.
The most popular Bulgarian salad - shopska salata ( chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers sprinkled with Bulgarian white cheese), kyopulo salad ( roasted aubergines, peppers, loads of garlic and parsley ), tarator ( cold yoghurt and cucumber soup );

dishes: kavarma ( meat and vegetable stew usually served in individual pots ), kebapcheta ( spicy mince meat, sausage shaped and grilled ), chushki biurek ( fried peppers stuffed with egg and cheese ), sirene po shopski ( white cheese, egg, tomatoes, peppers, baked in a pot ), etc.
Bulgaria offers excellent, world-famous red and white wines, as well as grape and plum brandy ( rakia in Bulgarian ). You will find the prices surprisingly low.
The variety in Bulgarian cuisine is based on the long history of the country, as well as on the long-lasting migrations of the tribes that founded Bulgaria more than 1300 years ago. The close contact with Turkey and Greece have helped to form very attractive and to some extent exotic national cuisine, including some dishes which cannot be called national but which are typical of Bulgaria only. And that's one of the things that Bulgarians miss most when are abroad and one of the things that make them come back. They can't imagine a world without bozha, banitsa, kebabcheta, Shopska salata, sarmi or any of the things that they won't be able to eat in any other country.
If you actually go to the country, good food will be just a part of what you'll be impressed by.  Bulgaria is a state of traditions above all. And whatever you eat, you'll be told that it is a part of a particular custom, i.e. if the meal is on the menu, it's just because it is on the custom.
Imagine that you are in Bulgaria at Christmas time. As the old Bulgarian custom says, at Christmas Eve you'll have the choice of more-than-seven Lenten meals. A needed addition to the cozy atmosphere is a piece of wood in the fireplace. If it keeps burning up to the following morning, this means that there will be happiness in the family throughout the year. In the morning boys and men, led by a chief-the Stanenik-go through the houses of the neighbourhood, singing koledarski songs wishing health to the host, as well as luck!

Recipes:

Banitza - Baked Cheese Pastry
Banitza - Baked Cheese Pastry
Banitza is one of the most popular and typical Bulgarian dishes, more of a breakfast or snack thing than a main course. There are many shapes and varieties of banitza - with cheese, spinach or butternut squash, but the cheese one is the most common and famous one.
Ingredients:
10-12 sheets Filo pastry (it is difficult to roll the sheets in the correct thickness, so I suggest you buy the ready made ones from your supermarket)
500 g white cheese (you can use Feta although it is not quite the same as the Bulgarian White Brined Cheese - see below for info on how to purchase on the Internet)
1/2 pack butter (melted)
3-4 eggs
250 ml soda water
pinch of salt
Instructions: Oil a medium size deep oven dish, cover bottom with a sheet of filo pastry, sprinkle melted butter, sprinkle crumbled white cheese, and continue layering filo pastry with butter and cheese. Finish with a layer of filo pastry and butter. In a separate dish beat the eggs, add salt, and soda water. Pour slowly over the dish with the banitza and let it soak in. Cook in a preheated oven (180-200 C) for about 40 minutes or until the banitza has risen slightly and has nicely browned on top. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes and serve. I like it with yoghurt on the side.
Bulgarian Rhodopean Moussaka
Ingredients:
3/4 lb lean ground chuck
1/2 lb lean ground pork butt
4 cups 1/2-inch cut peeled potato cubes
1 large onion fine chop
1/3 cup crushed garlic
3 large fresh tomato fine chop
4 large eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 Tsp fresh chopped oregano or savory (see note below)
3 Tsps flour
4 Tsps cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. In a deep skillet, brown ground meat together in oil.
2. Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, cook for 5 more minutes.
3. While this is cooking, mix eggs, yogurt, feta, and flour, as well.
4. Mix ground meat, potato, tomato, parsley together.
5. Place in baking dish, and pour egg mixture over top.
6. Sprinkle green onion on top
7. Bake for 1-hr covered at 350 deg. Then 1/2-hr uncovered.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: You can use savory instead of oregano. ( much better ) Serve with a mayonnaise based cucumber salad, and boiled
Potato and Vegetable Omelette
Potato and Vegetable Omelette
Ingredients to serve 4:
450 g potatoes
salt and black pepper
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
100 g frozen peas
6 large eggs
50 g mild cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions: Peel and cut the potatoes in cubes. Cook in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and crush the garlic, deseed and chop the pepper.
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and fry for 4 minutes, add the red pepper and peas, cook for 3 minutes then transfer to a plate.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the potatoes and cook for 8 minutes stirring, add the onion mixture, sprinkle the parsley, and mix well with the potatoes.
Beat the eggs; mix with the cheese and season. Pour over the mixture evenly. Reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are set. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and turn out the omelette onto a plate. You can serve it hot or cold. Delicious with garlic bread and green or tomato salad.
Aubergine/Eggplant Dip - Kyopolou
Aubergine/Eggplant Dip - Kyopolou
Ingredients:
2-3 aubergines/eggplants,
4-5 peppers (red and green mixed)
2-3 medium tomatoes.
4 cloves garlic,
fresh bunch parsley,
red wine vinegar,
sunflower oil
salt
Instructions: Bake/roast the aubergines, tomatoes and peppers on a hot plate or in the oven (220C), peel their skin and cut into small pieces. Add the crushed garlic. Mixture well; add oil and vinegar, salt to taste, stir again. Arrange into a serving dish, top with finely chopped parsley. Serve with toasted bread or bread sticks. Unbelievably tasty!
Mish-Mash - a type of omelette
Mish-Mash - a type of omelette
Ingredients for 3-4
3 medium tomatoes,
3 red peppers,
1 onion, 2-3 tbs. of vegetable oil,
200 gr. of feta cheese,
3 eggs,
chopped parsley,
salt and pepper to season
Instructions:
Cut the ingredients into small pieces. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions, then the peppers and the tomatoes and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add the cheese and eggs and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Delicious with toast. Shopska Salad - a Bulgarian favourite
Shopska Salad - a Bulgarian favourite
Ingredients for 4:
4 spring onions,
4 medium size tomatoes,
half a cucumber,
1 green pepper,
1 red pepper,
optional: olives
chopped parsley,
grated feta cheese to sprinkle salad,
salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil
Instructions: Cut all ingredients in slices or cubes. Season with salt, pepper, add the chopped parsley, 1 tbs. of vinegar and 2 tbs. of olive oil and mix well. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy either on its own or as a side dish.

Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients for 2-3
3 small green peppers,
125 gr. of feta cheese,
frying oil,
1 tomato (cut 3 disks or squares from the hard part of the tomato) Instructions:Cut a hole on top of each pepper, taking all seeds out and wash. Cut the cheese into 3 pieces or adjust depending on the number of pepper, fill each pepper with the cheese and close the hole with a tomato square (see above). Then fry each side of the peppers in a pan or you can use a deep-fat fryer. Leave to cool, then peel the skin and serve.