Bulgarian food

It's pretty gross, actually. If you want good food head over the border to Serbia, Greece or Turkey.

All of it looks really good to me. I'd eat it for sure, especially that grilled meat platter.

I'm Bulgarian and I like it :) I would hesitate to offer some of it to foreigners, though. I don't like foods that are drastically different from what I'm used to and I don't like to assume others would.

Also, R1, you are wrong. Balkan foodis pretty much intermeshed (is that a word?) so you get different variations of the same things.

R4 That's true, but that doesn't mean that those "variations" are equally tasty in all of the countries. Food in those other places I mentioned is pretty similar but a lot more imaginative and diverse. Bulgaria and Romania have the blandest food out of all those ex-Ottoman places in the Balkans.

I've always wanted to try the lutenitsa (sp.?) spread. For those in the know, is this recipe legit?

I get the Balkan Salad and the ajvar and Walmart, which are both made in Bulgaria. I know, but that's the only place I can find it. I use the two together for omelets with a little ricotta mixed in, delicious.

R6, it's completely legit, and lutenitsa is DELICIOUS. Some people add grilled eggplants to the mix.

You can also try kyopoolu. (Always use olive oil.)

Can you give some examples, R5? Because I disagree.

^...at Walmart

Too much bulgur in Bulgarian cuisine!

Lol, bulgur is very rare in BG cuisine actually.

How's the food in Montenegro?

I love Bulgarian clowns, though.

R8, thanks! I think I will make that over the weekend. It seems simple enough.

Isn’t the itinerant farmer in God’s Own Country Bulgarian?

R15, he is Romanian.

I visited Sofia, Bulgaria (gorgeous, by the way).

I honestly don’t recall anything about the food

Banitsa is divine! When done properly, obviously.

Mmmmm, banitsa! With cheese and greens. Yum!

Also, tarator, musaka, monastery-style beans, shopska salad and stuffed peppers.

Now I'm hungry.

R14, I forgot to say you should add chopped parsley too. I add 1 thick bunch per 1 big bowl of kyopoolu.

I'm familiar. The main ingredient? Poverty.

You're not wrong, R21. Poverty, though, has created one of the richest vegetarian cuisines in Europe at least. Meat was always a luxury and only eaten on major holidays. So vegetarians and vegans could benefit from Bulgaria's centuries of tradition in creating tasty and nutritious meatless dishes.

R22, that's so true actually. We Americans really have been spoiled by the meat industry.

R19, YTF.

[quote] How's the food in Montenegro?

It has a style all its own.

[quote] Mmmmm, banitsa! With cheese and greens. Yum!

Mmmmm, EVOO.

I don't know what this dish is, but it looks good.

These are grilled peppers in tomato sauce, R27. I personally don't like them and prefer them in garlic-vinegar-olive oil-parsley sauce but many people swear by them.

R5 - I don't agree. I have been to Balgaria and the food has Turkish influence and is quite tasty. Romanian food varies from region to region but is far better than other Eastern European food I have tried due to the variety of vegetable, spice and meat types as well as seasoned stews, cream and clear soups and bbq. I like the food here a lot and the deserts are amazing because the Austrians and their many pastries had quite an influence.

Czech, Russian, Polish and other cuisines are blander. I ate great dishes in the Balkans and by the Black Sea.

Russian and Polish dishes are practically inedible. Bland doesn't begin to describe it. Fattening, spiceless and so. Much. Raw. Dough. Ugh.

I used to go to the Polish delis in Greenpoint. Delicious meats, especially sausages.

I really loved the food in Bulgaria. But that is as much because of the quality of the produce, spices, etc over there.

The national dish is the shopska salad. Diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, a bland cheese, and olive oil with lemon juice.

Over there is is simple and ravishingly delicious .

In America with our flavorless cucumbers and hard textured tomatoes, it is impossible to duplicate.

R32, also chopped grilled peppers, onions, parsley and (optionally) vinegar, never lemon juice.

Is there such a thing as Bulgarian soul food?

Define soul food, R34

It ain't no Moldavian food.

I sucked off a hot Bulgarian in a videobooth. I've never had anyone come in such great volume. It must be in their food.

R36 - I also disagree. Moldavian food has amazing soups, borscht and loads of diverse stews, spreads and their cheese, jams and cakes are incredibly tasty and complex. Also, Moldavian bread pastries are renowned.

Guy Fieri visited a Bulgarian restaurant in Vegas, called Forte.

The cook made Kiufte, Kebabche, Liuteniza, and a Thracian clay pot.

The meat platters came with sliced onions, pickled beans, bread and other vegetables.

The clay pot looked great. It was a pot with sliced tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, paprika, hot peppers, feta cheese, sausage, and topped with an egg. It looked so good.

I'm guessing that was authentic, but I have no idea.

That's called gyuveché, R39. It's delicious.

How did you remember the names of all these foods?!

Bulgaria was under the Ottoman thumb for close to 500 years. Bulgarian cuisine is identical to that found in Turkey and every other country under the Ottoman thumb. Even the food names are very similar.

R41, not true.

I watched that episode over 20 times R40... lol.

The food looked so good, so I always catch that episode of Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

R42 Yes it is. Google the history of Bulgarian cuisine. ALL Turkish in origin. Even the names of the food are almost identical, e.g., Kufteh (Turkish) - kyufteh (Bulgarian); shishlek (Turkish) - shishcheta (Bulgarian); Meze (Turkish and Bulgarian); kebab (Turkish) - Kebapche (Bulgarian). And chorba, which is the same all over the former Ottoman empire.

Are you trying to school me in my own history and cuisine, R44? Yes, I am aware that all Balkan food is basically the same - Turkish and Greek influences being the strongest. However, the way these dishes evolved in the different regions is quite different and you'll find little in common between a Turkish, a Bulgarian and a Serbian kyufte, for example.

Meze means food that you eat with alcohol to not get too drunk, it's not a specific dish. Chorba means thick soup in general and also isn't a specific dish. Yes, Turkish words are still used throughout the former Ottoman empire.

R45, get real. I am a Bulgarian. And, yes, the food is basically similar to the Turkish cuisine. The only difference is that Bulgarians use pork and animal fats like lard. Also Bulgarian food have some Northern European influence. Or maybe Russian. Like salads with mayonnaise, cabbage potatoes, which is not common in Turkish cuisine. Any cuisine is heavily influenced by the history and economy. Bulgaria has always been a very poor country. Different variations of meatless and meat stews are the staple. This was the way to stretch the limited resources and feed the family. Everything is eaten with a lot of bread. For example we would eat meatless potatoes stew with bread growing up. One thing for sure you could find very good bread in Bulgaria.

[quote]you'll find little in common between a Turkish, a Bulgarian and a Serbian kyufte, for example.

R45 The recipes are identical: meat, onions, cumin, herbs, salt.

[quote]Meze means food that you eat with alcohol to not get too drunk,

I know exactly what meze is. And the word, items served and purpose are identical all over the former Ottoman empire.

[quote]Chorba means thick soup in general and also isn't a specific dish.

Chorba is very much a specific dish, and you'll get almost the same chorba in Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest and Istanbul.

Къде видя салати с майонеза и картофи със зеле бе, човек. Ще умра.

R47 nope. Not even a little bit. Example: a chorba made with beans.

R46, no problem. It will not be a big loss.

Bulgarian cuisine and culture is unique because the region has been a crossroad for two millenia. It is neither East and West, Iron Curtain and Western, Muslim and Christian, Northern and Souther---it has all mixed there for a very long time to make a stew that is unique even when the influences are obvious.

R50, oh, you can use Google translate?

You're Bulgarian when I'm a pumpkin.

R49 Bean chorba is the same in Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest and Istanbul. In Istanbul, they also use lentils.

R51 The only different between Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia was the alphabet. Otherwise, exact same culinary and cultural influences.

Please ignore the pseudo-Bulgarian troll, DL. He's spewing absolute bullshit and disinformation that has nothing to do with reality. There is no mayonnaise in Bulgarian cuisine, nor are there potatoes with cabbage. He's making all of this up and, frankly, I can't begin to imagine why.

R53, no. Influences, yes.

Check the руска салата. Also go back to Sofia and visit the salad bar of any supermarket. Plenty of mayonnaise based concoctions. Приятен ден. 😃

[quote]There is no mayonnaise in Bulgarian cuisine, nor are there potatoes with cabbage.

R54 Uh . . .

Ruska salata: salad with potatoes, carrots, gherkins, and mayonnaise

(As a result of the heavy influence of Russia in Bulgaria from WWII onward)

Fun fact: Bulgaria fought on the side of Hitler and the Axis, until Russia invaded the Balkans, when they changed sides.

I sometimes make this simple dish, which I understand to be Bulgarian. It feeds two. Mix a minced clove of garlic in 1/2 cup thick strained yoghurt (so Greek would be easiest for most to buy) then divide and spread over 2 plates. Poach 2 eggs for each plate, and make sure you place and sort of wrap them in paper towels to dry them off before you place them on the yoghurt. Melt a tablespoon of butter and mix in a teaspoon of sweet paprika and pour this over the eggs. I made it because it looked weird but found it to be delicious!

It’s all cabbage and goat pieces

Balkanization is happening before our eyes in this thread.

I am IN Sofia and shitty streed salads have zero to do with traditional cuisine. Stop copying stuff from Google translate and sit down, R56.

Ruska salata literally means Russian salad and is the famous Olivier salad. It's a foreign dish. Like you cooking borscht ot tacos, for example.

R58 That sounds like banitsa without the pastry.

These are "yaytsa na ochi" (eye-style eggs) and one of my favourite foods, R59. Make sure to brown the butter before pouring it. Also, you will need more yoghurt (one bowl) and salt.

R62, again, NO, it doesn't. Not even a little bit. WTF??

Interesting R7, I'll have to keep an eye out for both of those next time I go to Walmart. I did notice that Hellman's now sells a roasted red pepper sauce too, seems to have the same ingredients as the Ajvar recipes I'm seeing online, but it's got a much smoother consistency.

Do they also have that amazing Macedonian bread called bebek or something?

I think not, R66. What is it like?

It's burek r67. Sorry, it's been a long time.

I googled and found this. Even plain burek is absolutely divine. Wonderful fresh baked for breakfast. Damn you I'm hungry now!

It's burek r67. Sorry, it's been a long time.

I googled and found this. Even plain burek is absolutely divine. Wonderful fresh baked for breakfast. Damn you I'm hungry now!

I thought they ate goats and rats

Assuming some of you are really Bulgarian, does the chorba have to be thick and a bit tart? In Bucharest, it isn't made with sour cream, but come north and it is. Also, are there stuffed cabbage rolls?

The rest sounds incredibly exotic compared to Romanian food which leans more towards German fare with pork, cabbage, potatoes, and sausages. Chorba and "mititei" are about the only Turkish influences. I kind of prefer the Turkish influence tbh. I miss LA's variety of spices and lamb dishes in Middle Eastern restaurants and homes.

One tip...date a Persian guy who knows how to cook and ask him to cook something. Amazing homemade stews and meat dishes.

R69, oh yes, burek is really popular in Bulgaria. It's a type of banitsa. There are several regional variations (for example, Sofia burek) which are all delicious.

R71, chorba really means just thick soup or often is just another word for soup. There are literally thousands of variations. I admit I don't know how the word is used in Romania. Despite the West often lumping us together for marketing reasons, Bulgaria and Romania don't have that much in common. The Danube is an important border that has been observed throughout the millennia so the cultures that developed on both sides are very different. The rest of the Balkans don't really consider Romania a truly Balkan country.

Meze, as I said, is alcohol food and the word means "nibbles". It can be literally anything - from just bread, to salad, mushrooms, etc. It's most often used (in Bulgaria) to describe a platter of assorted cheeses and meats, as well as pickled vegetables (turshia). I'm not sure how the word is used in Turkey.

Russia also has a rich tradition in alcohol foods, only they call it "zakuska", a word that in Bulgarian means "breakfast". So, as you can see, a lot of words are borrowed or similar but have come to mean different things in the different cultures of the region.

Oh, and about the stuffed cabbage rolls - do you mean sarmi, where minced meat and spices are rilled in a sauerkraut leaf?

R72 - yes, this summer a Romanian couple and a fellow US expat with a Romanian wife went to the beach in Bulgaria after passing the COVID test. They said that though the cities look similar, the food there was like a mix of what they tasted in Turkey and what is out here. Of course the language is Slavic so they used English and they loved the food. I actually mentioned this to my roommate last night and she said that while Romanians got lucky (for once ha ha) the poor Bulgarian people had to cope with Ottoman oppression for far longer but, according to most Romanians, Bulgaria is still somehow more organized than Romania, which is essentially a sort of Latin mess mixed with Eastern European (her words, not mine).

I do recognize some of the food. By "zakuska" do you mean that red pepper and vegetable spread? They make that here and it is put on bread and served at breakfast with "slanina" (smoked cold pork fat bacon) and a sort of feta. Also, yes, by sarmi I mean the stuffed cabbage rolls that are called "sarmale" here.

Another interesting thing my roommate was saying was that during communist times, her grandma would go to Bulgaria and buy not only mod dresses (as they had to be custom made here but Bulgaria had them in stores) and the very famous rose perfume, oils, and soaps. Apparently, Bulgaria had amazing rose products.

Anyway, I do look forward to a trip to your country as it sounds nice and the pictures my colleagues showed were also beautiful and they said the people were warm and friendly hosts.

Thank you for the very interesting peek into what Romanians think about us, R74! It's funny because here we kind of see them as more organized (they had this wonderful anti-corruption chief prosecutor Laura Kövesi who we are all envious for!:).

Zakuska means breakfast. What you're describing is probably lyutenitsa or ajvar? We have slanina too, my grandma used to love it :)

I would also like to visit Romania some day. I'm less interested in the cities than the beautiful mountains which I 'd love to see. Any recommendations for must-see places?