Food & Drink

Bulgarian cuisine is honest, seasonal, and surprisingly diverse. It combines Mediterranean freshness with Balkan heartiness and is deeply rooted in rural tradition. The foundation: fresh vegetables, yogurt, white cheese (Sirene), grilled meat, and bread. The quality of the ingredients is remarkable — Bulgarian tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers have a taste long forgotten in Western European supermarkets.

National Dishes

• Shopska Salad (Шопска салата): THE Bulgarian national dish — diced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onions, generously sprinkled with grated Sirene (white brine cheese, similar to feta but milder). Simple, but with sun-ripened Bulgarian tomatoes, a taste sensation. Served as a starter in every Mehana, from 4 BGN (2€).
• Kavarma (Каварма): Braised meat (pork or chicken) with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and spices, served in a clay pot (Gyuvech). Hearty, aromatic, and perfect with cold Rakia. Main course: 8–14 BGN (4–7€).
• Kebapche (Кебапче): Long, seasoned minced meat rolls from the grill — Bulgarian fast food. Served with fries, Ljutenitsa (spicy pepper paste), and bread. From street stalls from 3 BGN (1.50€).
• Banitsa (Баница): Puff pastry with Sirene cheese and eggs — the quintessential Bulgarian breakfast. In bakeries (Фурна) from 2 BGN (1€). On New Year's Day, slips with good wishes are baked inside.
• Tarator (Таратор): Cold yogurt soup with cucumbers, garlic, dill, and walnuts. The perfect starter on hot summer days. Refreshing and healthy.
• Bob Chorba (Боб чорба): Hearty bean soup — the "poor man's dish" that has risen to a national dish. Slowly cooked with peppers, mint, and spices. A must in winter.
• Kyufte (Кюфте): Spiced meatballs from the grill — alongside Kebapche, the second Bulgarian grill classic.

Bulgarian Yogurt

Kiselo Mlyako (Кисело мляко) is no ordinary yogurt — it is a national treasure. Bulgarians claim the invention of yogurt for themselves, and indeed the specific bacterial strain Lactobacillus bulgaricus was discovered here. Bulgarian yogurt is thicker, sourer, and more aromatic than Western European variants. It is eaten plain, used as a base for Tarator, and served with every grill plate. In Japan, Bulgarian yogurt is sold as a luxury product.

Rakia — Bulgaria's Liquid Soul

Rakia (Ракия) is Bulgaria's national drink — a clear fruit brandy with 40–60% alcohol, belonging to every meal, celebration, and social occasion. The main varieties:

• Grozdova Rakia: Made from grapes — the most common variant.
• Slivova Rakia: Made from plums — the most aromatic and considered by many as the best variety.
• Kaysieva Rakia: Made from apricots — sweeter and milder.
• Muskatova Rakia: Made from Muscat grapes — floral and elegant.

Rakia is never drunk without food — at least a Shopska salad must be on the table. The toast is „Nasdrave!" (На здраве! — To health!). Eye contact when toasting is mandatory. In rural areas, almost every family distills their own Rakia — the quality varies from divine to dangerous, but the hospitality is always genuine.

Bulgarian Wine

Bulgaria has a 5,000-year-old wine tradition — the Thracians were enthusiastic wine drinkers, and the Dionysus cult (god of wine) has Thracian roots. Today, Bulgaria is one of the emerging wine producers in Europe, with excellent wines at prices unimaginable in France or Italy.

• Mavrud: Bulgaria's flagship red wine — dark, strong, tannin-rich. Often compared to Malbec or Syrah. Growing region: Thracian Plain (around Plovdiv and Asenovgrad).
• Melnik: Named after Bulgaria's smallest town — a velvety, full-bodied red wine from the Struma Valley region near the Greek border. Winston Churchill is said to have been a fan.
• Gamza: Lighter red wine from the Danube region — fruity and easy to drink.
• Dimyat: Indigenous white wine — fresh, mineral, ideal as a summer wine.

A bottle of good Bulgarian wine costs 5–15 BGN (2.50–7.50€) in the supermarket, 15–30 BGN (7.50–15€) in a restaurant. Wine tours in the Thracian Plain and the Struma Valley (around Melnik) are a delight — and a fraction of what Tuscany tours cost.

Coffee

Bulgaria has a pronounced coffee culture — the Ottoman tradition lives on. The classic Bulgarian coffee (Turkish brewed, strong, unfiltered, in a copper pot/Cezve) is available everywhere. Additionally: Espresso, Cappuccino, and a growing third-wave scene in Sofia and Plovdiv. A coffee costs 2–4 BGN (1–2€).