I’ve already written about many places to visit in Bulgaria but I haven’t yet addressed my favorite topic: food. Bulgarian cuisine is a mixture of Greek, Turkish and Serbian influences. It varies in different regions.

Bulgarian Breakfast

In the mornings, Bulgarians love fried dough and pastry. Banitsa is one of the most popular Bulgarian desserts. The traditional banitsa pie is filled with cheese, eggs, yogurt and yogurt. This is a great savory breakfast that goes well with a glass or two of Ayran.Banitsa pie

Mekitsa are also popular breakfast choices in Bulgaria. You can add anything to these simple deep-fried donuts, whether it’s sweet or savory. To enjoy a mekitsa, slice it in half and stuff it with your favorite toppings.

The Bulgarian French toast is similar, but unlike those French toasts, they usually include a slice or two of cheese. This is a filling breakfast that will satisfy you for hours.

Lyutenitsa, a Bulgarian favorite, is very popular. It is a relish made of peppers and tomato. This relish can contain eggplants, spices, and garlic. It is delicious as a breakfast spread on bread, but has also become a popular topping for meat dishes. Don’t be afraid to order it if you see it on the menu. If you are staying in an apartment with self-catering, a jar lyutenitsa makes a great budget breakfast.

I must mention another breakfast dish Bulgarians enjoy at home: popara. This is a porridge made from hot milk, cheese, butter and chopped bread. Although it doesn’t look or sound appealing, it’s actually quite tasty and children love it.

Bulgarian food

The Bulgarian meal starts with a shot of rakia and a small salad. A shot is a strong, flavorful fruit rakia. There are many types of salads, but based on my observation, Bulgarians prefer simple vegetables with their drink.

Salads and Spreads

The most popular Bulgarian Salad is the Shopska. You will need cucumbers and tomatoes as well as onions, peppers and grated cheddar to make the shopska salad. Shopska can be made in a variety of ways: with peeled or roasted peppers; without onions. You can’t find many places in Bulgaria that don’t offer a Shopska.

Traditional Bulgarian restaurants offer a variety of spreads in their salads and appetizers. Remember lyutenitsa? It is available in many restaurants along with eggplant sauce. Try Kyopolou, an aubergine dish with roasted peppers or Katak, a spread made of cheese, yogurt and roasted red peppers. snezhanka is another must-try. It’s a spread made with yogurt and cucumbers, similar to Greek tzatziki. Snezhanka is available with or without nuts and garlic. All these dishes go well with pita bread (again!). Garlic can be added or not.Bulgarian appetizers usually consist of roasted peppers with cheese and yogurt.

You can always find a Tarama spread (fish roe), if you are near the sea. Most restaurants offer combined platters so that you can try more appetizers. These salads and spreads can be a complete meal, Greek-style.Tarama salad

Bulgarian Food Soups

In Bulgaria, the choice of soups is not very large. In a typical restaurant, you’ll find a good chicken soup as well as some seasonal veggies cream soup. There are two Bulgarian soups that stand out: Fish Soup and Taratorsoup.

If you are on the Bulgarian coastline, then try out the fish broth. The fish soup in the southern area of the sea and that on the northern coast are different. The soup in the north is heartier, made with tomato paste, and served with a chilly sauce on the side. In the south the soup has a more lemony flavor and is clearer. The soups are both delicious but I’d choose the northern one with a little chilly paste.Enjoyable fish soup

The tarator, however, is quite different. This is a chilled soup made with yogurt and cucumbers, served with dill. It’s a very unusual soup, and most people avoid it. However, I find that it is refreshing on a hot summer day. Try it and tell me if you like it in the comments!Tarator soup tastes very refreshing.

Fish and Seafood

Spicy mussels

The Bulgarian coast will be a paradise for those who love to eat fish. The menus are stuffed with mussels, sea snails or shrimps. You can eat them steamed or fried, on a grill, in risottos and soups. There are many ways to prepare the fish. It can be marinated, smoked or grilled. Fresh mussels with garlic and wine are my favorite.Seafood appetizer

Bulgarian food – meat dishes

The typical Bulgarian food is always tasty and filling. There is also no shortage of meat dishes. Here are some of the most popular Bulgarian meat dishes.

Bulgarians love their kebapche for barbecues. Both are minced meat balls, but kebapche has a longer shape. Cumin is used to prepare the meat, which gives it a unique taste. These grilled dishes have a Turkic influence. These dishes go well with a salad of cabbage or perhaps with lyutenitsa.Meatballs (kyufte)

If you are in a traditional Bulgarian eatery, the Sach is a must try. The sach, a clay pot in which meat and vegetables are cooked, is the traditional Bulgarian dish. The sach is a clay pot that’s used to cook meat and vegetables. It sits on a metal stand at the table, where it keeps the food hot throughout the meal. The food may be gone, but the pot is still hot.

Kavarma, another Bulgarian dish is also popular. The dish is a mixture of meats and vegetables that are baked in an oven. It varies by region, and even family to family. But it is always a delicious meal that’s perfect for a cold day.Kavarma is a Bulgarian traditional food

Let’s move on to the dessert. Don’t be afraid to try other foods, either. You should not miss out on giant beans salad or vine leaf sarmi.Vine leaves sarmi

Bulgarian Desserts

Desserts in Bulgaria have a strong Turkish influence. Baklava and other sweets are available in many pastry shops. You can also find a variety of cakes in shops, but I never found them appealing.

The nougat with figs is my favorite Bulgarian treat. It’s a sweet with roasted nuts and green figs.The best Bulgarian dessert is ice cream nougat

Last Thoughts about Bulgarian food

You can see that I am a huge fan of Bulgarian food. Peppers roasted on the grill, and fresh figs are the two smells which immediately make me think about Bulgarian food. You can read about Bulgarian cuisine or the most trendy city in Bulgaria by reading my Food in Plovdiv article.