Bulgarian Food

Bulgarian Cuisine and Borrowed Recipes

Bulgarian cuisine is rich in vegetables, fruits, various dairy products, meat, poultry, game and fish. Bulgaria is located in southeastern Europe, in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. In the east, Bulgaria is washed by the Black Sea, bordered by Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania. The climate and the neighborhood with many states have had a great influence on the culture and cuisine of Bulgaria. Throughout the history of Bulgaria's existence, up to 30 peoples and tribes have passed through its lands, which carried with them traditions and habits in the culinary arts, some of which have taken root well in the Bulgarian cuisine. The culinary influences in Bulgaria are most influenced by Greek cuisine and Turkish cuisine, as Bulgarians have been in contact with these countries for centuries.

From Turkish cuisine, Bulgarian cuisine has borrowed rich red sauces with very spicy dishes. Also, recipes for many dishes were borrowed from Turkish cuisine – kebabs, casseroles, sweet desserts, halva, baklava, pilaf, Turkish delight, etc. Probably the biggest mark on Bulgarian culinary history is Greek cuisine. Moussaka and many other recipes were taken from Greek cuisine. At the beginning of the twentieth century, recipes for French cuisine began to appear in Bulgaria – soufflé, fricassee, saute and others, and English cuisine introduced the terms sandwich, bacon, cocktails and others into Bulgarian cooking.

Holiday Bulgarian Food Recipes

If we take the Old Bulgarian cuisine, then it mainly depended on the season, lifestyle and working conditions. Nowadays, the availability of products all year round has greatly increased and diversified Bulgarian recipes. Now Bulgarians can cook their favorite dishes from fresh vegetables all year round. But still there are old culinary traditions and traditional recipes for a particular holiday. Each holiday has its own cookbook of recipes for Bulgarian dishes. On Peter's Day, cakes, pies, jams, soups, broths and chicken dishes are prepared in Bulgaria. For the Transfiguration, exclusively fish dishes are prepared using only vegetable fats. The Bulgarian table is rich on Christmas Eve, in which many pork dishes are prepared: kebabs, steaks, cutlets, fried stuffed pig. Duck, various sausages, pudding, bakhuri, kavarma are also cooked on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, the table is less rich, the obligatory dish is a baked pumpkin and dishes from it.

Variety of Bulgarian Food Recipes

The various Bulgarian food recipes are based on combining products with similar biological characteristics. This allows the recipe to be balanced in color, aroma and flavor. It also allows you to create great Bulgarian food recipes – for example, lamb with parsley, spinach or green onions, pork with cabbage or beans, potatoes with lamb and tomatoes, or beef with onions and prunes. As for fats and spices, they are also selected in accordance with food and dishes. Bulgarian food recipes are rich in a variety of soups made from vegetables, mushrooms, chicken powders (Easter chicken soup), and fermented milk products (tarator). There is a large assortment of Bulgarian main course recipes. They are not only tasty, but also healthy due to their balance. Lamb, pork, poultry or fish dishes must be accompanied by salad or simply chopped fresh vegetables. Stuffed dishes are very popular in Bulgaria – they stuff tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, apples, cook stuffed fish and meat rolls. Various stuffing is used with the addition of mushrooms, onions, cheese, cottage cheese, minced meat, olives, etc. Cheese is widely used in Bulgarian food recipes, from which many dishes are prepared. An omelet is made from it, it is wrapped in grape leaves, fried, it is part of the filling for baking (kifle), for stuffing vegetables. Cheese is also added when preparing various salads and, of course, is eaten as an independent dish.

Bulgarian Cuisine Recipes

Our site contains many of Bulgarian cuisine recipes, so you can easily get acquainted with the culinary traditions of Bulgaria, simply by cooking something according to the recipes of the Bulgarian cuisine we have proposed.