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History 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 (the Thracians, the Slavs and the Bulgarians) that founded Bulgaria more than 1300 years ago. The close contact with Turkey and Greece have helped form very attractive and to some an exotic national cuisine. It includes some dishes which cannot be called national but which are typical of Bulgaria only.
Bulgarian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of Southeastern Europe. Essentially South Slavic, it shares characteristics with other Balkans cuisines. Bulgarian cuisine is very diverse. It is because of the relatively warm climate and diverse geography which affords excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Bulgarian traditional meals • Salads Bulgaria is famous for its rich salads which are required at every meal. • The most famous Bulgarian salad is Shopska salad. It is a cold salad popular throughout the Balkans and Central Europe. It is madeof tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers, sirene (white cheese) and parsley. • Snezhanka Salad (Snow White Salad), sometimes called "Mlechna salad" (Milk Salad), is a traditional Bulgarian salad. It is made of Bulgarian yogurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, usually cooking oil, dill and walnuts.
Cold cuts Lukanka Lukanka is a Bulgarian (sometimes spicy) salami unique to Bulgarian cuisine.Lukanka is semi-dried and it is in brownish-red colour. Traditionally, lukanka is made of pork, beef, and spices (black pepper, cumin, salt), minced together. After the stuffing process, the cylindrical salami is hung to dry for about 40 to 50 days in a well-ventilated location. In the process of drying, the salami is pressed to acquire its typical flat form. Lukanka is usually finely sliced and served cold as an appetizer or starter.
Soups • Tarator is a traditional Balkan dish. It is a cold soup popular in the summertime in Bulgaria. It is made of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, walnut, dill, vegetable oil, and water. It is served chilled or even with ice. • Bob chorba is a national Bulgariandish. The name translates to "bean soup". It is a soup made of dry beans, onions, tomatoes, carrots and spices.
Sauces Ljutenica Ljutenica is a sauce which is very famous in Bulgaria. The ingredients include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, garlic, black pepper, vegetable oil, sugar and salt. In Bulgaria, Ljutenitsa comes in a jar and is often used as a spread on toast and breads. It is also popularly eaten with many meats.
Breads • Kozunak is a traditional Bulgarian sweet bread. It is usually prepared for Easter. It is made of milk, sugar, eggs, butter and raisins. In Bulgaria, the kozunak is prepared by adding lemon to the dough mixture. • Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian food prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs and pieces of cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven.
Holiday meals There are several holidays that are characterized by specific meals. On Christmas Eve, it is a tradition to have vegetarian stuffed peppers and vegetarian stuffed vine leaves. On New Year's Eve, there are dishes made with cabbage. On Nikulden (Nicholay's Day; December 6), people usually cook fish, while on Gergyovden (George’s Day; May 6), it is a tradition to eat roast lamb. Bulgarian Christmas Eve table
Cuisine in the art • Bulgarian cuisine in literature Bulgarian cuisine is widespread in Bulgarian folktales. • Zhitenata pitka (a wheat bread) – it is a very famous Bulgarian folktale. It is a fairy tale about a wheat bread. • Hitar Petar (clever Peter) – there are a lot of folktales about Hitar Petar. In some of them he is sitting in the Eating house with his friends and he is eating some traditional Bulgarian meals such as Bob chorba, Banica and others.
Bulgarian cuisine in proverbs A very famous proverb in Bulgaria is one about the work and the food. It is widespread and almost everyone knows it. “Който не работи, не трябва да яде!” (If someone doesn’t work he must not eat.) There is a folktale (“Bogdanka”) about this proverb.
Bulgarian cuisine in music There is one very famous children’s song in Bulgaria. It is about the healthy food. “Който зеленчуци не яде, той голям не ще порасте...” (Anyone who doesn’t eat vegetables, will not grow up.)
Bulgarian cuisine in cinema and television There are a lot of cookery programmes in Bulgarian television. • Bon Apeti • The Lord of Chefs • Barzo, lesno, vkusno (Fast, easy, delicious) Also there are some films about cookery in Bulgaria.
The End Stella Valcheva 10b class
