3. BULGARIAN NATIONAL CUISINE
Because of its geographical position and long history Bulgarian cuisine
is a mixture between European, Oriental and Mediterranean cuisines.
National
specialities
include:
Shopska
salad
(sliced
tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and parsley topped with grated sheep's
cheese); and tarator (a cold soup of chopped cucumber, walnuts and
yogurt) perfect for hot summer days. White sheep's cheese baked with
eggs is another favorite. Other typical items on the menu include
kebapcheta (minced meat rolled into sausage shapes and
grilled), kavarma (individual casseroles of pork or veal, onions and
mushrooms), shishkebab, stuffed vine or cabbage leaves and moussaka.
Yogurt too, tastes better in Bulgaria, its country of origin. There are many
different Bulgarian pastries as well such as banitsa.
The variety of Bulgarian wines and local alcoholic drinks such as
rakia, mastika and menta.

5. Shopska salad is from tomatoes,
cucumbers, preferably raw or
roasted peppers, onions, fresh
parsley and white cheese.
Products for 6 servings:
 Cucumbers240 gr.
 Tomatoes270 gr.
 Peppers270 gr.
 Onion75 gr.
 Sunflower oil45 ml.
 Cheese150 gr.
 Vinegar 30 ml.
 Parsley18 gr.
 Hot pepper 6
Preparation:
Wash the peppers, remove the stems and the seeds.
 Cut them into small cubes.
 Wash the tomatoes and cut them into cubes, cut the
peeled cucumbers into cubes, too.
 Chop the peeled onion and the parsley into pieces.
 Mix all the vegetables well and shape them as a
pyramid in the middle of the plate.
 Season it with the sunflower oil and vinegar.
 Sprinkle with grated cheese.

6. Products for 6 servings:
 Ready- made phyllo sheets500 gr.
 Cheese 250- 300 gr.
 Eggs5
 Soda450 gr.
 ¾ packet of butter
 Sunflower oil100 ml.
Preparation:
 Place the 1/3 of sheets in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle over it a half of the cheese
mixture. Place the second 1/3 part of the sheets and sprinkle over it the other part of cheese
mixture. Finally place the last 1/3 of phyllo sheets.
 Cut it into pieces and sprinkle with some melted hot butter.
 In another bowl beat together the 2 eggs with soda.
 Pour the mixture over the banitsa bake it in a hot oven 200 degrees for 40 minutes. First
10 minutes bake it only the bottom of the dish.

7. Tarator is a kind of cold soup. It prepare from the yogurt, chopped cucumber,
crushed garlic, dill, vegetable oil and salt.
(Cold soup)
Ingredients for 6 servings:
 Yoghurt1020 gr.
 Water390 ml.
 Cucumbers510 gr.
 Sunflower oil 45 ml.
 Walnut kernels30 gr.
 Dill30 gr.
 Garlic15 gr.
 Salt10 gr.
How to make it :
 Place the yoghurt in a big bowl and whisk until smooth.
 Stir in cold water. Add the cucumbers (peeled and diced), the finely chopped
 dill, the crushed or pressed garlic, the oil, the grated walnuts and salt to
 taste. Stir, chill and serve.

8. (Hot soup)
Ingredients for 6 servings:
 Beans240 gr.
 Sunflower oil60 ml.
 Onion 60 gr.
 Carrots60 gr.
 Celery30 gr.
 Tomatoes240 gr.
 Parsley20 gr.
 Fresh peppers90 gr.
 Mint20 gr.
 Sаlt10 gr.
How to make it :
 Clean the beans and wash them carefully. Cover them with cold water and leave for 7 – 8
hours. Then pour the water from the beans and cover with cold water again. Simmer over
low heat until the beans become tender. Add the sunflower oil, chopped onion, celery and
the carrots. Simmer for about 25 minutes again.
 Add the finely chopped peppers and the peeled and chopped tomatoes,
too. Add salt to taste. At the end of the process add the mint.

9. Ingredients:
 Minced meat480 gr.
 Sunflower oil90 ml.
 Rice75 gr.
 Tomatoes180 gr.
 Eggs2
 Flour20 gr.
 Yoghurt180 gr.
 Mint3 gr.
 Parsley30 gr.
 Black pepper1 gr.
 Salt1 gr.
Preparation:
 Make the stuffing: Mix the rice with the minced meat. Season with black pepper, salt, mint,
parsley and sliced tomatoes. Add the oil and some warm water. Simmer for 5 – 6 minutes and
take off the heat.
 Remove the stems and the seeds of the peppers. Stuff them with the stuffing and arrange in a
baking pan. Pour with warm water or stock, cover and bake until browned.
 In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, the yoghurt and flour. Boil the mixture.
Serve the stuffed peppers hot with mixture.

10. Ingredients for 6 servings:
 Sunflower oil90 gr.
 Butter60 gr.
 Rice282 gr.
 Vine/cabbage leaves360 gr.
 Onion240 gr.
 Tomatoes240 gr.
 Carrots78 gr.
 Еgg1
 Flour18 gr.
 Yoghurt180 gr.
 Red pepper6 gr.
 Mint, parsley, savory, salt
Preparation:
 Fry the finely chopped onions and carrots in the oil.
 Add the rice the red pepper and finally chopped tomatoes and pour over hot water (1:1) and
simmer until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Add the seasoning blend well, leave it
put 1 tsp of the mixture on each leave.
 Roll together and arrange in a saucepan, pour over 2/3 cupful of warm water and 1 tsp fat,
close with a lid and simmer about 45 min. on a low fire.

11. Ingredients for 6 servings:
In Bulgaria, moussaka is usually
 Minced meat600 gr.
 Sunflower oil90 ml.
made from minced meat, potatoes,
 Butter18 gr.
onions, tomatoes and spices
 Onions180 gr.
steamed together, then bake in the
 Potatoes900 gr.
oven, and finally pour in the egg Tomatoes510 gr.
based sauce, yogurt and flour and
 Flour60 gr.
finish baking with dressing.
 Milk240 gr.
 Eggs2
 Yellow cheese ( kashkaval)30 gr.
 Paprika ( tomato puree)20 gr.
 Parsley30 gr.
 Ground black pepper and red pepper.
How to make it :
 Fry the onion and paprika in the oil. Add the minced meat and stir for another 2- 3 minutes.
Season wit ground black and red pepper. Add the diced potatoes mix well.
 Transfer the moussaka to an oiled baking pan, add hot water and bake in a moderate oven
until browned.
 Preparing the sauce “beshamel”: Whisk together the butter,
the flour, the milk and the eggs. Pour the mixture over the
moussaka.
 Grate the kashkaval on top and bake for another 10-15
minutes, until browned. Serve hot.

12. Ingredients :
This is one of the most popular
 Meat900 g;
meals in Bulgaria which is not so
 Oil60 ml;
famous outside the country. The
 Leek550 g;
ingredients
and
preparations
 Tomatoes220 g;
depend on the region. Almost
 Tomato paste50 g;
every part of Bulgaria has it’s own
 Peppers300 g;
Kavarma recipe. In general, the
 Red wine30 ml;
meal consists of marinated cooked
 Parsley45 g.;
meat and vegetables. It could be
 Hot peppers6;
mild or spicy depending on the
 Salt, Savory, Pepper, Paprika.
region and the likings. Goes
Preparation:
perfectly well with beer or rakia
 Chop the meat into the pieces of 25 gr. each and fry it in the oil with the leeks.
 Stew on low fire until its own juice evaporated. Add the shredded peppers, red peppers,
salt, wine and tomato puree diluted with some water.
 Let the meat stew on a slow fire and then add hot peppers ( whole) , tomatoes, savory,a
half of the chopped parsley, broth.
 Put all the mixture in an earthenware dish then in an oven and bake it.

13. Traditionally kebapche is made from a mixture of ground pork and
beef and spices.
Products for 6 portions:
(40 gr. for a portion)
 Minced meat 882 gr.
 Black pepper 0,1 gr.
 Cumin0,1 gr.
 Water10 ml.
 Preparation:
 Knead all products. Shape them in a cylindrical form and place on the
 oiled, heated barbecue.
 Serve hot.

14. 







Ingredients:
Phyllo sheetsSunflower oilPumpkinSugarWalnuts kernelsCinnamonBreadcrumbsPowdered sugar
500 gr.
50 ml.
1.5 kg.
200 gr.
50 gr.
1 tsp.
100 gr.
50 gr.
Preparation:
 Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds, grate it and fry it. Add the crushed walnuts,
breadcrumbs, cinnamon and sugar. Mix all well.
 Place 2-3 of the ready made sheets in a well- buttered tray and sprinkle with the sunflower oil
each sheet. Place a thin layer of grated and fried pumpkin between the sheets at 3 or 4 places,
mixed with chopped walnut kernels and breadcrumbs. Roll the sheets.
 Bake in 200 C heated oven until getting golden– brown from both sides.
 Cut the pastry with sharp knife into portions. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

15. Ingredients:
 A packet of plain biscuits;
 Walnut kernels100 gr.;
 Powdered sugar100 gr.;
 Cocoa10 gr.;
 Butter125 gr.;
 Yoghurt50 gr.;
 Coconut filings6 tbsp.;
Preparation:
 Crush the biscuits. Add the ground walnut kernels, cocoa and the sugar. Mix well, add the
yoghurt and the melted butter.
 Knead all products and make balls. Roll the balls in coconut filings and place them in the
fridge.

16. Bulgarian yoghurt is the best in the world.
The Bulgarian yoghurt is the best
yoghurt produced in the world.
The only place where you can
produce it and find it in its
unaltered form is Bulgaria. This
is
due
to
the
same
Lactobacterium Bulgaricum that
is used to make the Bulgarian
cheese and which grows no
place else in the world. If you
are thinking of organic yoghurt this is it in its purest form. Eat it
straight, with fruits, add it on
meals or make ayran or tarator
Lyutenitsa is a sauce-like spread
that is made from tomatoes,
peppers, and eggplants pureed
together. It looks a lot like
babbaganush and has similar
ingredients but it tastes a little more
peppery. Lyut in Bulgarian means
hot as in spicy, hence lyutenitsa.
Although in truth, lyutenitsa is not
really spicy. Enjoy this on bread or
as a side dish

17. Shkembe
You probably don't want to know exactly
what this typically Bulgarian soup is
made of. We suggest you first try it and
see that it is actually pleasant to the
taste. The literal English translation is
tripe soup - tripe is the thick lining of the
stomach of cattle... Seasoned with
garlic, vinegar, and hot red pepper, it will
surprise you with its unique aroma and
taste - good surprise that is. It is
scientifically proven that Shkembe
chorba helps alleviate a hangover when
consumed after waking up with one. Eat
it with as much rakia or beer as you
want.
Sirene
Bulgarian white cheese - a variety
of the feta cheese but can be
produced only in Bulgaria. This is
due to a specific lactose tolerant
bacteria which converts the milk
into yoghurt and then sirene. The
bacteria is found only in this part of
the world, hence it name - Bacillus
Bulgaricus. Bulgarian white cheese
is a brined goat, sheep, or cow
cheese and can be enjoyed as a
side dish or as a part of many other
Bulgarian meals. Eat it with some
red pepper on top and with a glass
of fine wine

18. BULGARIAN WINES

19. BULGARIAN RAKYA

21.  ‘This project has been funded with support
from the European Commission.
 This publication reflects the views only of
the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.’