Bulgarian cuisine (Bulgarian: българска кухня, bylgarska kuhnja) is a representative of the cuisine of Southeastern Europe. Essentially South Slavic, it shares characteristics with other Balkans cuisines. Bulgarian cooking traditions are diverse because of geographical factors such as climatic conditions suitable for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruit. Aside from the vast variety of local Bulgarian dishes, Bulgarian cuisine shares a number of dishes with the Russian, Italian, Greek cuisine and even Middle Eastern cuisines.
Bulgarian food often incorporates salads as appetizers and is also noted for the prominence of dairy products, wines and other alcoholic drinks such as rakia. The cuisine also features a variety of soups, such as the cold soup tarator, and pastries, such as the filo dough based banitsa, pita and the various types of börek.
Main courses are very typically water-based stews, either vegetarian or with lamb, goat meat, veal, chicken or pork. Deep-frying is not common, but grilling - especially different kinds of sausages - is very prominent. Pork is common, often mixed with veal or lamb, although fish and chicken are also widely used. While most cattle are bred for milk production rather than meat, veal is popular for grilling meats appetizers (meze) and in some main courses. As a substantial exporter of lamb, Bulgaria's own consumption is notable, especially in the spring.
Similarly to other Balkan cultures the per capita consumption of yogurt (Bulgarian: кисело мляко, kiselo mlyako, lit. "sour milk") among Bulgarians is traditionally higher than the rest of Europe. The country is notable as the historical namesake for Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a microorganism chiefly responsible for the local variety of the dairy product.
Bulgarian cuisine shares a number of dishes with the Middle Eastern Cuisine as well as a limited number with the Indian, particularly Gujarat cuisine. The culinary exchange with the East started as early as the 7th century, when traders started bringing herbs and spices to the First Bulgarian Empire from India and Persia via the Roman and later Byzantine empires. This is evident from the wide popularity of dishes like moussaka, gyuvetch, kyufte and baklava, which are common in Middle Eastern cuisine today. White brine cheese called "sirene" (сирене), similar to feta, is also a popular ingredient used in salads and a variety of pastries.
Holidays are often observed in conjecture with certain meals. On Christmas Eve, for instance, tradition requires vegetarian stuffed peppers and cabbage leaf sarmi, New Year's Eve usually involves cabbage dishes, Nikulden (Day of St. Nicholas, December 6) fish (usually carp), while Gergyovden (Day of St. George, May 6) is typically celebrated with roast lamb.
As in many areas of the Balkans that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, food in Bulgaria is influenced by the Turkish—ayran, baklava, gyuvech, and moussaka are all of Ottoman derivation.
Bulgarian Breakfast
Banitsa — breakfast pastry of eggs, white cheese, and yogurt between phyllo layersCold cuts
Banski starets (also banski staretz) — spicy sausage, native to the Bansko region.Elenski but — air-cured ham sausage, seasoned with herbsLukanka — spicy salami of minced beef and porkPastarma — spicy beef sausage; a variant of Anatolian dried meat, called pastourmas to Greeks, bastirma in Azerbaijanis, and basterma to ArabsSujuk (also soudjouk, sukuk, sukuk, or sucuk) — flat cured, dark red sausage, common in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and North AfricaSoups and stews
Gyuvech — spicy vegetable stew, cooked in clay potSupa ot kopriva (nettle soup)Tarator — cold soup of cucumbers, garlic, yogurt and dillShkembe chorba — spicy soup made of tripe, reputed in Bulgaria to be a "hangover cure"Bob chorba — hot bean soupSmilyanski fasul — Smilyan bean soupPacha — a sour lamb's-trotter soup," with sour ingredients such as pickles, bitter fruit, or vinegar in the brothZelenchukova supa — a vegetable-based soupGubena supa — forest mushroom soupRibena chorba — a fish soup made with thymeOvcharska salata (shepherd's salad) — shopska salad, with the addition of grated egg, mushrooms, and sometimes ham.Ruska salata — salad with potatoes, carrots, gherkins, and mayonnaiseShopska salad — a common salad of chopped cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with white cheeseSnezhanka ("Snow White salad") — chopped cucumbers with yogurt, walnuts, dill, garlic, and often walnutsTurshiya (also torsi) — pickled vegetables, such as celery, beets, cauliflower, and cabbage, popular in wintertime; variations are selska turshiya (country pickle) and tsarska turshiya (king's pickles).Sauces, relishes, and appetizers
Lyutenitsa (also lyutenitza) — purée of tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots, often served on bread and topped with white cheeseKyopulu (also kyopolou) — roasted eggplant (aubergine) and bell peppers, mashed with parsley and garlic and other ingredientsLjutika — spicy saucePodluchen sauce or yogurt sauce — yogurt with garlic, oil, paprika, salt and sometimes dill.Katino meze—Hot starter with chopped pork meat, onion, mushrooms with fresh butter and spices.Drob po selski — chopped liver with onion and peppersEzik v maslo — sliced tongue in butterSirene pane — breaded Bulgarian brine white cheese bitesKashkaval pane — breaded kashkaval bitesMussels in butter — with onion and fresh herbs, traditionally from SozopolKyufte (meatballs of minced pork meat, seasoned with traditional spices and shaped in a flattened ball)Kebapche (similar to meatballs, but seasoned with cumin and shaped in a stick)Parjola (pork steak, chop or flank)Shishcheta (marinated pieces of chicken or pork and vegetables.)Karnache (a type of sausage with special spices)Nadenitsa (a type of sausage with special spices)Tatarsko kyufte (stuffed meatballs)Nevrozno kyufte (very piquant meatballs)Chicken in caulCheverme (used in celebrations such as weddings, graduations and birthdays: a whole animal, traditionally a pig, but also chicken or a lamb, is slowly cooked in open fire, rotated manually on a wooden skewer from 4 to 7 hours.)Meshana skara (mixed grill plate): consists of kebapche, kyufte, shishche and karnache or nadenitsa Grilled vegetables (usually a garnish or a side dish)Grilled fish (salt water or freshwater)Main dishes
GyuvechYahniyaPlakiyaSarmaDrob SarmaWine, Tepsi or Tas kebabKavarmaKapamaMish Mash (Popular summer dish made with tomatoes, peppers, onion, white brine cheese, eggs and fresh spices)Pilaf (Rice with chopped meat, vegetables or mussels)MoussakaChomlekMlinStuffed courgettesPulneni chushki—Bulgarian stuffed bell peppersPeppers börekRoasted beansBeans with sausagePork with riceRoasted Chicken with PotatoesPork with CabbageChicken with CabbageRoasted PotatoesDrusan kebabRice with chickenTatarian MeatballMeatball(s) with White Sauce StewKjufteta po Chirpanski (Meatballs with potatoes; a recipe from Chirpan)Meatloaf 'Rulo "Stephanie"'Potato balls with SaucePanagyurishte-Style EggsFried Courgettes with Yogurt SauceChicken in katmi (Popular in a "Thracian" variety)Fish Zelnik (With Sauerkraut and Rice)Fish in pastry (Usually in celebration of St. Nicholas)Stuffed Carp or Nikuldenski Carp (Prepared for the Feast of St. Nicholas)Breads and pastries
PitaSweet PitaPita with Meat (Variably with Mushrooms or with Tomatoes and Onion.)Pogacha (Usual ritual bread.)Kravai (Usual ritual bread.)Kolach (Usual ritual bread.)Banitsa (The most popular pastry in Bulgaria with a number of varieties.)Tikvenik (Banitsa with pumpkins)Zelnik (Banitsa with white brine cheese and cabbage, spinach, leek, scallion, parsley or sorrel)BaklavaSaraliyaParlenkiPatatnikKachamakByal MazhTutmanikMilinkaGevrekKozunakMekitsi (Deep fried kneaded dough made with yogurt and eggs)MarudnitsiKatmi (a variety of pancakes)Palachinki (a variety of crêpes)LangidiTiganitsi (Similar to Mekitsi)DudnikPoparaSulovarParjeni filii, "fried toasts"Kiflichki with jam or white cheeseSolenkiYufkaTrienitsa or SkrobTrahanaBulgaria has a strong tradition of using milk and dairy products.
Sirene — soft and salty white brine cheese; appears in many Bulgarian dishesKashkaval — hard yellow cheese, often used in mezes; kashkaval Vitosha is made from cow's milk, while kashkaval Balkan is made from ewe's milkKiselo mlyako (literally "sour milk)—Bulgarian yogurt, produced using Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus; used in many Bulgarian dishesSmetana: creamIzvara: quarkKatak — a "traditional fermented curd/yogurt-like product"The name Halva (халва) is used for several related varieties of the Middle Eastern dessert. Tahan/Tahini halva (тахан/тахини халва) is the most popular version, available in two different types with sunflower and with sesame seed. Traditionally, the regions of Yablanitsa and Haskovo are famous manufacturers of halva.
Pumpkin Dessert (Печена тиква)BaklavaBuhti with yogurtTolumbi (толумби) - Fried schuh pastry cakes soakes in syrup which is usually made with honeyCookies "Peach" or PraskovkiFruit breadGarash cake ("Torta Garash")Katmi with jam or honey or cheese (Today usually with added chocolate)Kazanlak DonutsKazanlak Korabii (Казанлъшки курабии) - Scone like pastry that is egg washed and sprinkled with sugarKeks - similar to marble cakeKompotKozunakKurabiikiLokumMaslenkiMilk with RiceOshavTart with cherries or sour cherries (Traditionally from Bobov dol)Tart with different fruitsTatliiTikvenikTulumbichkiSpices and herbs
Summer savory (Chubritsa)Spearmint (Djodjen)Sharena solYoghurt ("Kiselo Mlyako", lit. sour milk)Honey ("Med")