Bulgarian food for your imagination

Bulgarian cuisine may not be very sophisticated, but it is very healthy. The famous pickles and the yoghurt can be eaten with some strong rakia, but also with the good wines produced in various regions of the country. 

A natural herbal wine taste

From the historical point of view, the wine traditions can be traced back to the Thracian past, but the winemaking as industry started its development from the 19-20th century. Each Bulgarian region produces different types of wine. I did not taste any by then, but according to the experts, the local wines have a lot of herbal tastes and very pleasant to the palate, without contrasts or strong accents. In the Northern region, the predominant wines are dry, while in the Eastern part, where the autumns are long, one may find especially semi-dry types. The largest wineries in the East are at Varna, Shumen, Preslav Khan, Targovishte. The sub-Balkan wine region is producing especially white wines. A unique variety of wine is Mavrud - ruby purple with excellent flavour -, produced in Asenovgrad, Pazadrzhik or Penshtitsa, all situated in the Southern part of the country. 

The secrets of the culinary tradition

The Bulgarian recipes use a lot of spices and vegetables: garlic, thyme, spearming, paprika, black pepper and basil. No bean soup without spearmint, and this goes all round the year, not only on special occasions. The traditional Bulgarian medicine uses as well various vegetables and leaves: parsley for kidney diseases and digestive problems and thyme for rheumatism or colds.

One of the most famous cuisine is the one prepared in the area around Rodopi. The usual favourites are: shopska salad - cucumber, white cheese, pepper, onion, tomatoes; the flatbread; smilyan, bean soup; kachamak - cornmeal porridge.

The yoghurt is added to soups and any other meals. In general, there are various types of milk products used in the daily cuisine, including the horse milk for the preparation of the kumis, a local drink. 

Another appreciated Bulgarian product is the honey, made of acacia, pine, honeydew. The polyfloral honey is special due to the use of some herbs that can be found only in Bulgaria. 

This is supposed to be only a theoretical introduction into the Bulgarian cuisine. Promise to come back soon with some cooking books and some recipes testing!

Enjoy your culinary trip!