Tooth-tingling lokum, known worldwide as Turkish delight, is a common treat in Bulgarian sweetshops, dusted with confectioner's sugar, coconut or nuts. Halva, made with semolina or sesame paste, is also widely sold, while plenty of cafes serve syrup-drenched baklava pistachio pastry and tolumbi honey-soaked pastry logs.
If you just fancy a quick bite, there's a wide choice of cheap and tasty street food available all over Bulgaria. By far the most popular takeaway snack is the banitsa, a flaky cheese pastry, freshly baked and served hot from simple counters and kiosks. They are often eaten for breakfast. Fancier bakeries will offer variations of the basic banitsa, adding spinach, egg, ham or other ingredients.
Sweet versions mlechna banitsa are made with milk. Sweet and savoury pancakes palachinki , croissant-shaped buns kiflichki , filled with marmalade, chocolate or cheese, and deep-fried yoghurt doughnuts mekitsi are all worth sampling.
Bulgarians are great snackers and in big towns you will see vendors in parks selling toasted sunflower seeds wrapped in paper cones. Steamed corn on the cob is served on street corners and around parks, and bagel-like, ring-shaped bread rolls dusted in poppy or sesame seeds gevrek are commonly sold by street vendors.
Vegetarianism has been slow to catch on in Bulgaria, but cities are finally wising up to the diet. In smaller towns, the lack of dedicated veggie eateries is not usually an obstacle to following a meat-free diet.
Most restaurants offer a dozen or more salads, which are sometimes large enough for a main course. Similarly, some restaurant menus now label the allergens of each dish, but it is worthwhile asking about the rigour with which 'dairy-free' or 'gluten-free' labels have been applied dietary requirements remain a slightly alien concept to most Bulgarians. Tasty vegetarian meals and snacks include sirene po shopski cheese, eggs and tomatoes baked in a clay pot , gyuvech potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine, onions and carrots baked in a clay pot , mish-mash scrambled eggs with peppers, tomatoes and cheese , kashkaval pane fried breaded cheese , chuska byurek fried, breaded peppers stuffed with egg, cheese and parsley , bob chorba bean soup and the ever-popular banitsa pastry.
Tarator chilled yoghurt and cucumber soup is a deliciously refreshing dish at any time of year. Vegans will have a trickier time because of the ubiquity of cheese and eggs in Bulgarian vegetable dishes. Self-catering can ease the stress for vegan travellers, though there are now a few cosmopolitan cafes in Sofia and Plovdiv catering for plant-based diets.
Grilled veggies and salads are a vegan-friendly fall-back on many traditional menus but double-check about cheese. Cafes are cheaper affairs and include basic self-service cafeterias offering pre-cooked meals, soups and salads. In the cities, small basic cafes or snack bars offer drinks and snacks, sometimes with a few chairs outside, or just a table to lean on. Some bake their own produce, especially banitsa. Self-caterers will find plenty of choice at Bulgaria's many street markets; this is where most locals do their shopping, and much of the produce will be fresh though in many villages, locals whisper that produce touted as organic and locally grown is quietly imported.
If we turn a blind eye to the latest healthy lifestyle trends, Bulgarians traditionally start the day with fat, pastry, cheesy or deep fried breakfast. Try banitsa baked pastry with egg and cheese filling at any local bakery — just follow the inviting smell in the morning. Get your hands on a mekitsa deep fried doughnut-like pastry delight usually eaten hot for a Bulgarian homey experience. Eating brunch is an unknown concept for Bulgarians.
A few food venues have tried to serve brunch in Sofia but the prevailing reaction is raised eyebrows. Most restaurants have a daily lunch menu offering freshly cooked food at low prices. Lunch is often eaten quickly and on the whole it is not considered an important meal. Bulgarians love salads and often eat only a salad.
You might be surprised by the huge portions they are served — it is not unusual to get 0. Shopska salad comprises of tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh or baked peppers, and Bulgarian feta cheese. Ovcharska salad adds some ham and hard yellow cheese to it. Soups are also a popular choice — try the chicken soup, bean soup, and the cold summer tarator soup made of cucumbers, yogurt, dill, and walnuts.
Dinner is the main meal of the day with huge portions, long talks around the table and often soaked in a lot of alcohol. Rakia is the strong, national drink, often home-distilled using plums, apricots, pears, grapes, and other fruit.
Tartar is of Greek origin,while tartar is a Bulgarian soup which is similar to Iran milk and water however it contained garlic,cucumber,herbs. This is a great post! However, it might also be a good idea to give the addresses of some restaurants in Sofia where these traditional Bulgarian dishes can be eaten.
I know a restaurant close to Thompson A small city in Bulgaria. Its name is Mechkata The Bear. They serve those dishes there. And thanks to EU regulations, restaurants are required to list allergens in their menu, so you should be safe.
I did tried the tarator once while I was on Velliko Tarnovo, me being from puerto rico, the ingredients did not sound like anything that belonged in a drink. I have to say, difficult for me to swallow. But, in the end my stomach felt great, very good as a starter before a meal. Deffinetly will drink it again when I am back in Bulgaria.
The food and that beach all look amazing. Generally good article, but i would also add bob chorba for the full experience of the culture of Bulgaria. Kashkaval Cheese is a yellow, semi-intense cheddar produced using dairy animals you can try it is a very healthy product. Hi there! This is a great resource. We just visited Bulgaria for the first time last month and I am busy writing a blog post about it featuring the restaurant scene and vegan options in Sofia.
I will credit you for the information I found here and look forward to reading more. We loved Sofia and hope to get back to Bulgaria again. It is an underappreciated place for sure.
Hi Sarah! Glad you guys found the article helpful and loved Bulgaria! Hi I think you must include a Kavarma is a traditional dish!!! Also I think Svatbarska soup should be add too….
As an idea for a BBQ sweet I love the large peaches from Sliven area cutted in halfs and fill the hole with bulgarian sirena, with honey and some hot pepper wrapped in alu foil and put it on the grill. I want banitsa so much!
I love it! Also, the best dessert I ever had in my life was in Bulgaria. It was yogurt with chocolate on top. Its basically fresh bread, with some oil, paprika, and salt…I remember as a kid a lot of kids would have it as a mid day snack or dinner its self! But great list and I love all the food!! Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. King of the grill: kebapche. Summer refresher: tarator. Baked sandwich royalty: printsesa. Tried them all!! They are all insanely good. Actually had them all with taratour on the side lol. So many delicious dishes! I just arrived in Sofia and am really glad I came across this. Read carefully.
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