Learn about all about the top five Bulgarian dishes you just have to try
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Yuri: This time, we'll be talking about Bulgarian cuisine. |
| Iva: Bulgarians really love their cuisine. |
| Yuri: The number of unique Bulgarian dishes is massive, and food is such a huge part of Bulgarian culture. |
| Iva: It really is! It's hard to summarize Bulgarian culture without talking specifically about food. |
| Yuri: We're going to have a hard time summarizing just the cuisine section. We could easily do a 15-lesson series just on the food. |
| Iva: Most people probably think of Bulgarian yogurt and wine. |
| Yuri: Yeah, but there's really so much more to it. |
| Iva: There sure is, and we will give you a great starting point for getting some of the best Bulgarian food out there. Bulgarian food is a cuisine of southeastern Europe. Essentially south Slavic, it shares characteristics with other Balkan cuisines. A typical Bulgarian meal will have beans, potato, some kind of meat, some kind of vegetable, salad, and of course the yogurt drink “айрян” or “айран”. |
| Yuri: Most meals are variations of this basic theme, and believe me, there are a lot of variations. |
| Iva: Bulgarians who live inland usually have pork, chicken, or beef as the meat. |
| Yuri: While Bulgarians who live on the coast often use fresh seafood in addition to or replacing the pork, chicken, or beef. |
| Iva: Bulgarians don't typically use recipes when they cook. That means the recipes you see in the cookbooks, on the internet, or even in these lessons are just one, typically, simplified version or one part of one Bulgarian meal. |
| Yuri: After having meat and potato almost every day for a few years, I can honestly say, I've never had the same dish twice. Every meal is a unique experience. |
| Iva: It is also important to know that for Bulgarians, lunch is the most important and largest meal. |
| Yuri: Meals are almost always made fresh each day, and from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the sweet aroma of fresh-cooked food fills every home, street, and city in Bulgaria. |
| Iva: Maybe we shouldn't be doing this lesson just before lunch. |
| Yuri: I know. I'm getting pretty hungry. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Iva: Popular food items... |
| Yuri: In Bulgaria, everywhere you go, you'll find “баничарници”, bakeries. |
| Iva: There you'll find “баничка”. |
| Yuri: White cheese bread, sometimes with leeks. |
| Iva: “Баклава”. |
| Yuri: Sweet pastry made of layers filled with nuts and syrup. |
| Iva: And “милинка” |
| Yuri: Sweet and salty breads and cookies. What will never be missing though is “геврек”, circular bread. |
| Iva: A standard snack for every Bulgarian, the “геврек” is a crispy bread, plain or sometimes with sesame seeds, which is also very common in Turkey, Greece, and Serbia. |
| Yuri: The Bulgarian yogurt cold soup, “таратор” is some of the best refreshing summer soups I've ever had. Particularly, the fresh cucumber in it. |
| Iva: Really? Why? |
| Yuri: It is all vegetable and yogurt and so healthy. “Таратор” is a type of summer salad that can be used as a side dish or as a refreshing appetizer. |
| Iva: My favorite is just to have a cup of “таратор” when I feel both hungry and thirsty in the summer. |
| Yuri: Good stuff. |
| Iva: Seasonal dishes... |
| Yuri: Christmas is a big food holiday in Bulgaria. On the Christmas Eve, December 24th, it is a tradition to have vegetarian food. The tradition is connected with the Orthodox Christianity, and many people do fasting for a long period before the Christmas Day, December 25th. |
| Iva: But the Christmas Eve dishes are so plenty and filling that you won't feel hungry or fasting at all. |
| Yuri: Yeah, and on the next day of Christmas, Bulgarians start eating meat and dairy products again. The holiday is celebrated with a filling dish of pork, rice, and cabbage. |
| Iva: On Christmas Eve, people eat the home-made “пита” or “питка”, traditional bread which has a very beautiful decoration and even lucky coin in it. |
| Yuri: What I know is that people say that the one who gets it will be happy, healthy, and rich the whole year. |
| Iva: Table etiquette. |
| Yuri: While it may seem like an unorganized tumult of plates, food, and conversation, table etiquette in Bulgaria is important. The basic rules apply, such as don't talk with your mouth full, sit up straight, don't put your feet on the table, but two things are particularly important to Bulgarians. First, you may be the guest of honor, but it is polite to insist the eldest person at the table starts proceedings. |
| Yuri: Glasses will always be refilled. Leave a mouthful at the bottom of your glass if you don't want more. |
| Iva: Yes. Same applies to food. Eating more shows appreciation for it, but make sure to take little at the initial serving to allow you a second serving. |
| Yuri: Ok. I’ve got a list of top five foods to try in Bulgaria. |
| Iva: Who chose them? |
| Yuri: Well, the staff at BulgarianPod101, and some Bulgarian chefs I know. So it's not based on official research or anything. |
| Iva: So basically, these are the foods we think the listeners should try. What's on the list? |
| Yuri: Ok. Now the top five Bulgarian dishes, presented by Eva. Number 5... |
| Iva: “Шопска салата”, the typical Bulgarian salad dish which is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers, “сирене”, the white brine cheese, olives, and parsley. |
| Yuri: Number 4... |
| Iva: “Баница”, very popular variation of the “баничка”, usually home-made. It is prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs and pieces of the same white cheese, “сирене”, between the pastry and then baked in an oven. |
| Yuri: Number 3... |
| Iva: “Кюфте” consists of balls of minced or ground meat, usually pork or beef, mixed with spices and onions. There is a vegetarian variety, the “картофено кюфте”, made with potatoes. |
| Yuri: Number 2... |
| Iva: “Мусака”, an eggplant-base dish which is popular not only in Bulgaria, but in the Balkans, Mediterranean region, and the Middle East. The Bulgarian version uses potatoes together with aubergines, pork mince, tomato, and the top layer is yogurt mixed with raw eggs and a couple of spoons of flour. |
| Yuri: And the number 1... |
| Iva: “Гювеч”, meat and vegetable stew. Actually, this is your favorite, isn't it? |
| Yuri: Yes, it is. It is an oven-baked pork or beef and vegetable stew that's similar to ratatouille. Besides the main meat ingredients and the olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, rice, onions, herbs, and spices, it is often served with “шопска” salad. |
| Iva: For those of you that are familiar with “гювеч”, you need to understand pure “гювеч” is made in a different way in every region that prepares it, but it is a unique, tasty, and healthy dish. |
| Yuri: Yeah. If you want great “гювеч”, you need to go to Bulgaria. |
Outro |
| Iva: Now the top five foods for the brave, presented by Yuri. Number 5... |
| Yuri: “Шкембе чорба”, tripe soup. That is a whole pork, beef, or lamb tripe boiled for a few hours, chopped in small pieces, and returned to the broth. The soup is spiced with ground red paprika, which is briefly fried, and a small quantity of milk is added. Traditionally the soup is served with mashed garlic and vinegar and hot red pepper. |
| Iva: Number 4... |
| Yuri: “Попара”. It is a breakfast meal made with leftover or fresh bread, milk, and sugar or honey. Often eaten with “сирене”, Bulgarian kids actually love it. |
| Iva: Number 3... |
| Yuri: “Апетитка”. It is a spicy version of “лютеница”, a relish-like sauce that includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, garlic, black pepper, vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. |
| Iva: Number 2... |
| Yuri: “Боза”. It is actually a very thick drink that most of the Bulgarians love, but foreign visitors of Bulgaria find difficult to drink. It is made of fermented wheat and has a slightly acidic, sweet flavor. |
| Iva: And number 1... |
| Yuri: “Люта чушка”, the hottest pepper in Bulgaria, one of the hottest in the world and one of the healthiest. The processed pepper sauces are typically not as hot as eating the pure fruit that we can find at local markets. Bulgarians eat it often with the main dish. |
| Iva: Ok. So there you have it. The top five Bulgarian dishes to try and the top five foods for the brave. |
| Yuri: Sometimes I feel like I didn't know what food was until I came to Bulgaria. Without a doubt, I have learned more about food, good food, since I came to Bulgaria, than I ever knew before. |
| Iva: I love the powerful flavors and variety of textures. Bulgarian food is always an experience to be remembered. |
| Yuri: That’s for sure. |
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