National cuisine of Bulgaria for gourmets

Bulgarian cuisine is a huge variety of recipes using a wide range of products. The basis of the cuisine consists of dishes from fresh vegetables and fruits, which are abundant in local farms and plantations. Also, Bulgarian chefs widely use different types of meat - lamb, pork, beef, and poultry. Often in recipes there are dishes from fish and seafood. The second dishes of the Bulgarian cuisine are distinguished by their high caloric content, they are rather dense due to the fact that all the ingredients are added simultaneously and stewed on low heat. In the Bulgarian cuisine you can meet a large selection of cold and hot soups. The cuisine is very popular in other countries of Eastern Europe.

Bulgarian cuisine has much in common with Greek and Turkish cuisines, a large number of dishes came into it from Armenian and Hungarian cultures. Separate dishes are prepared exclusively for the holidays - Christmas, St. Nicholas Day or New Year. Bulgaria is famous for a huge variety of fresh vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, peppers. Sweet pepper in many countries is officially called "Bulgarian". The most popular snack in the country is the "lettuce salad", consisting of baked sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes and lots of greenery, especially cilantro. It is obligatory to add cheese to the salad; cheese is the favorite snack of locals.

Brynza is a pickle cheese, which is prepared from fresh cow, sheep, goat, sometimes buffalo milk. The finished cheese is stored in salt brine; it is extracted from it directly before use. Brynza is served on the table both as an independent snack, and as a part of vegetable salads. Popular among other snacks is shepherd salad, in which ham is added to vegetables, and sour-milk salad "snowball" with cucumbers. The most popular soup in Bulgarian cuisine is the "tarator". The soup is served cold. For its preparation, cucumber, walnuts, garlic, oil, spices are used. The broth is prepared on the basis of sour milk or liquid unsweetened yogurt. Different types of this soup are found in the kitchens of Turkey, Russia, and Albania. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Another famous Bulgarian soup - "chorba", is prepared on the basis of kvass with the addition of fresh vegetables. Among the second dishes "moussaka" is widely known, which many consider a Greek dish. "Moussaka" is prepared from aubergine, minced meat, potatoes and egg-cream filling. Ingredients are laid out in layers and cooked simultaneously on a slow fire, due to which the dish reaches the desired taste and consistency. A similar recipe has another dish - "gyuvech". For its preparation, meat is used instead of forcemeat. Another international dish in the Bulgarian cuisine is called "Sarmi", a stuffed cabbage wrapped in grape leaves. As stuffing minced meat from pork or beef can be used. The dish is found in the kitchens of Transcaucasia, Turkey, Greece.

Bulgarians love meat very much. One of their most popular dishes is "kebab" - a kind of meat dish fried over an open fire. One of the most festive dishes is "chaverme", which is a lamb on a spit. The meat can be dried; lovers of this method of cooking must try "pastarma". In the Bulgarian cuisine there are several varieties of sausages, the most popular of them - "lukanka", has penetrated into other neighboring countries. It is a loin that is folded and pressed. Sausage is obtained flat, for its preparation in Bulgaria pork with the addition of beef is used.

Bulgarian cuisine is full of sweets and pies, which are also often served as snacks. A very popular snack is "banitsa", which is a pie with cheese, a reminiscent of the Georgian "khachapuri." The main Bulgarian desserts are baklava, halva and lukum. Baklava is a sweet pie with filling of nuts, raisins and honey. Halva is prepared on the basis of sugar with the addition of nuts and seeds. Lukum is of Turkish origin, and is made from sugar with the addition of starch and nuts. The main alcoholic beverage in Bulgaria is mastic, a local 47-degree vodka. Among non-alcoholic drinks, ayran is popular, which is a sour-milk drink, diluted with water.