Bulgarian Cuisine

Bulgarian cuisine ( bg, българска кухня , translit=bǎlgarska kuhnja) is part of the cuisine of Southeast Europe, sharing characteristics with other Balkan cuisines. Bulgarian cooking traditions are diverse because of geographical factors such as climatic conditions suitable for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Aside from the vast variety of local Bulgarian dishes, Bulgarian cuisine shares a number of dishes with Persian, Turkish, and Greek cuisine.

Bulgarian cuisine includes a significant contribution from Ottoman cuisine, and therefore shares a number of dishes with Middle Eastern cuisine, including ''moussaka'', ''gyuvetch'', '' kyufte'', ''baklava'', ''ayran'', '' gyuvech'', and ''shish kebab''. Bulgarian food often incorporates salads as appetizers and is also noted for the prominence of dairy products, wines, and other alcoholic drinks such as '' rakia''. The cuisine also features a variety of soups, such as the cold soup tarator, and pastries, such as the filo dough-based ''banitsa'', pita, and the various types of ''börek''.

Main courses are very typically water-based stews, either vegetarian or with lamb, goat meat, veal, chicken, or pork. Deep-frying is not common, but grilling—especially of different kinds of sausages—is prominent. Pork is common, often mixed with veal or lamb, although fish and chicken are also widely used. While most cattle are bred for milk production rather than meat, veal is popular for grilling meat appetizers (meze) and in some main courses. As a substantial exporter of lamb, Bulgaria's own consumption is notable, especially in the spring.

Similar to other Balkan cultures, the per-capita consumption of yogurt () among Bulgarians is traditionally higher than the rest of Europe. The country is notable as the historical namesake for ''Lactobacillus bulgaricus'', a microorganism chiefly responsible for the local variety of dairy products. (), a white brine cheese similar to feta, is also a popular ingredient used in salads and a variety of pastries.

Holidays are often observed in conjunction with certain meals. On Christmas Eve, for instance, tradition requires vegetarian stuffed peppers and cabbage leaves '' sarmi''. New Year's Eve usually involves cabbage dishes, Nikulden (Day of St. Nicholas, December 6) involves fish (usually carp), while Gergyovden (Day of St. George, May 6) is typically celebrated with roast lamb.

Traditional Bulgarian foods

Bulgarian breakfast

* ''Banitsa'' – baked pastry made of layered stuffing and phyllo. There are many varieties with different names, with arguably the most famous one being with eggs, sirene, and yogurt.
* ''Börek'' – filled pastry of Turkish origin
* ''Tutmanik'' – similar to pita, made with yeast dough and milk, but with white cheese.
* ''Milinki'' (singular: ''milinka'') – bread roll type pastry with eggs and sirene
* Princess with minced meat – open-faced baked sandwich with minced meat, and possibly some yellow cheese on top
* Princess with yellow cheese – open-faced baked sandwich with yellow cheese on top
* Princess with eggs and cheese – open-faced baked sandwich with egg and ''sirene'' mixture on top
* ''Mekitsi'' (singular: ''mekitsa'') – deep-fried dough pastry, typically served with jam, honey, sirene, or icing sugar
* French toast (Purjena filia) – bread dipped in eggs and milk (either cow's milk or yogurt) and fried in oil
* Kazanlak Doughnuts – a specific type of doughnuts, from the town of Kazanlak
* ''Buhti'' (singular: ''buhta'') – deep-fried dough balls, often served with jam, honey, or sirene
* ''Langidi'' (singular: ''langida'') – somewhat similar to American-style pancakes, soft and eggy
* ''Palachinki'' (singular: ''palachinka'') – Bulgarian-style pancakes that are thinner than American pancakes and sometimes rolled around some stuffing
* ''Katmi'' (singular: ''katma'') – another variant of Bulgarian pancakes, which are bigger and thicker and are rolled around stuffing
* ''Popara'' – might be made from rusks, bread, or kozunak with tea, milk, or sour milk (Bulgarian yogurt). Quite different from other Bulgarian breakfasts, this one was very popular during the 20th century, and many Bulgarians remember this dish with fondness and childhood nostalgia.

Cold cuts

* ''Banski starets'' (also ''banski staretz'') – spicy sausage,Bousfield & Willis, p. 232. native to the Bansko region
* ''Elenski but'' – air-cured ham sausage, seasoned with herbs
* ''Lukanka'' – spicy salami of minced beef and pork
* ''Pastarma'' – spicy beef sausage;Bousfield & Richardson, p. 40. a variant of Anatolian dried meat called ''pastırma'' in Turkish, ''pastourmas'' in Greek, '' bastirma'' in Azerbaijani, and '' basterma'' in Arabic
* ''Sujuk'' (also ''soudjouk'', ''sukuk'', ''sukuk'', or ''sucuk'') – flat cured, dark red sausage, common in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa

Soups and stews

* ''Tarator'' – cold soup of cucumbers, garlic, yogurt, and dill
* Vegetable soup – with various fresh vegetables and potatoes
* Nettle soup – with rice and sirene
* Spinach soup – with sirene and eggs
* ''Bob chorba'' – hot bean soup
* Lentil soup – brown lentils soup
* Mushroom soup – with forest mushrooms
* Chicken soup – made with vermicelli, potatoes, and vegetables
* ''Teleshko vareno'' – boiled veal, potatoes, and vegetables in consommé
* ''Ribena chorba'' – a traditional spicy fish soup, made with thyme and fresh lovage
* ''Topcheta'' soup – a Bulgarian meatball soup thickened with egg yolks and yogurt
* Lamb soup – made from lamb organ meats
* ''Kurban chorba'' – lamb meat and lamb organ meats, eggs, and vegetables
* ''Shkembe chorba'' – spicy soup made of tripe, reputed in Bulgaria to be a "hangover cure"
* ''Pacha'' – a sour pork's-trotter soup, with sour ingredients such as pickles, bitter fruit, or vinegar in the broth
* ''Ghivetch'' – spicy vegetable stew with vegetables and sometimes different meats, often cooked in a clay potDeutsch, p. 87-88.
* ''Smilyanski fasul'' – Smilyan bean stewRoss, p. 67.
* Potato stew

Salads

* ''Ovcharska salata'' (shepherd's salad) – shopska salad, with the addition of grated egg, mushrooms, and sometimes hamSachsenroeder, p. 143.
* ''Ruska salata'' (Russian salad) – salad with potatoes, carrots, gherkins, and mayonnaise
* ''Shopska salad'' – a common salad of chopped cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with white cheese
* ''Snezhanka'' ("Snow White salad") – chopped cucumbers with yogurt, dill, garlic, and often walnuts
* ''Turshiya'' (also ''torsi'') – pickled vegetables, such as celery, beets, cauliflower, and cabbage, popular in wintertime; variations are ''selska turshiya'' (country pickle) and ''tsarska turshiya'' (king's pickles)

Sauces, relishes, and appetizers

* ''Lyutenitsa'' (also ''lyutenitza'') – purée of tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots, often served on bread and topped with white cheese
* ''Kyopulu'' (also ''kyopolou'') – roasted eggplant (aubergine) and bell peppers, mashed with parsley, garlic, and other ingredients
* '' Lyutika'' – spicy sauce
* ''Podluchen'' sauce or yogurt sauce – yogurt with garlic, oil, paprika, salt, and sometimes dill
* ''Katino meze'' – hot starter with chopped pork meat, onion, and mushrooms with fresh butter and spices
* ''Drob po selski'' – chopped liver with onion and peppers
* ''Ezik v maslo'' – sliced tongue in butter
* ''Sirene pane'' – breaded Bulgarian brine white cheese bites
* ''Kashkaval pane'' – breaded ''kashkaval'' bites
* Mussels in butter – with onion and fresh herbs; traditionally from Sozopol

Skara (grill)

* '' Kyufte'' – meatballs of minced pork meat, seasoned with traditional spices and shaped in a flattened ball
* ''Kebapche'' – similar to meatballs, but seasoned with cumin