Bulgarian cuisine is essentially Slavic, but influenced by the Turkish, Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. It is characterized by rich salads and the use of white cheese in both warm and cold dishes.

A few products and dishes:

Tarator is a dish that can be considered as a cold soup or as a salad. It is made of cucumbers, garlic, dill, sometimes nuts and yoghourt (another Bulgarian specialty called Kiselo Mlyako here) with water.

Shopska salad consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, grilled or fresh peppers and sirene cheese (white cheese).

Bulgarian Moussaka differs from the Greek variety because it is made without aubergines.

Banitsa is filo pastry filled with eggs and sirene baked in the oven.

Lyutenitsa is a tomato and pepper relish..

Dried sausages (Soujouk, Lukanka) are a real specialty made of porc and beef meat. Lukanka looks like a flattened sausage, while soujouk has a closed horseshoe shape (picture on the left).

Sirene is a granular white cheese made of cow milk. It is used in salads and warm dishes ad is sold in big square blocks.

Kashkaval is the word used for all cheeses that are not sirene, but it can also indicate a particular yellow cheese.

Kavarma is a dish made with oignons, peppers et red or white wine and can be made with any kind of meat or a combination of porc, beef or chicken.

Gyuvetch is a similar dish but with mushrooms and without the wine. It can also be made only with vegetables.

Mishmash is a kind of omelet with cheese and peppers and finished in the oven.

Pasturma is dried beef meat. Buy it at the butcher’s department and have it cut real thin.

Bulgaria is often associated with Rakia. The name is given to an array of alcohols made from raisins, grains or prunes.

But Bulgaria is also a country of wines: the best red wines are made from varieties of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Local varieties are Gamza (also known as Kadarka), Mavrud, Melnik and Pamid.

The white wine is made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, but also from the local Misket, Ottonel and Dimiat.