Bulgarian Recipes

Bulgarian cooking sits between the Balkan, Mediterranean and Central European worlds, and its dishes show both village traditions and long-shared regional habits. Vegetables are the heart of the table: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant and green beans are eaten raw in salads, roasted into spreads and baked in clay pots. Dairy is just as central. Yogurt is eaten daily and used in cold soups, sauces and doughs, and sirene, a salty white brined cheese, finishes salads and fills pastries. Pork is the everyday meat, grilled as kebapcheta, layered into musaka and rolled in cabbage leaves, while lamb is kept for spring and Easter. Flavors lean on sweet paprika, summer savory, mint, dill and parsley, with garlic and walnuts for richness. Autumn is preserving season, with jars of lyutenitsa and pickles lining the pantry. Filo pastries such as banitsa appear at breakfast and on festive tables, and fasting days bring bean soups and pumpkin pastries. A meal often comes with rakia, the local fruit brandy.

Staple ingredients

• yogurt
• sirene (white brined cheese)
• tomatoes and peppers
• pork
• walnuts
• sweet paprika
• savory and mint
• sunflower oil

• Breakfast 2
• Appetizers 3
• Soups 2
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 6
• Breads 1
• Desserts 2
• Pickles and Preserves 1

Breakfast

• Banitsa (Bulgarian Cheese and Egg Filo Pie)BG1 h 10 minMedium
• Mekitsi (Bulgarian Fried Yogurt Dough)BG50 minEasy

Appetizers

• Chushki Byurek (Bulgarian Fried Peppers Stuffed with Cheese)BG1 h 20 minMedium
• Kyopoolou (Bulgarian Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread)BG1 h 10 minEasy
• Sirene po Shopski (Baked Cheese with Tomatoes and Peppers)BG33 minEasy

Soups

• Bob Chorba (Bulgarian White Bean Soup)BG2 hEasy
• Tarator (Bulgarian Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup)BG15 minEasy

Salads

• Shopska Salata (Bulgarian Tomato and Cucumber Salad)BG15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Agneshko s Oriz (Bulgarian Baked Lamb with Rice)BG2 h 35 minMedium
• Gyuvech (Bulgarian Baked Vegetable and Pork Stew)BG2 h 30 minEasy
• Kebapcheta (Bulgarian Grilled Spiced Meat Rolls)BG37 minEasy
• Musaka (Bulgarian Potato and Minced Meat Bake)BG1 h 45 minMedium
• Palneni Chushki (Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers)BG1 h 45 minMedium
• Zelevi Sarmi (Bulgarian Cabbage Rolls)BG3 h 10 minMedium

Breads

• Kozunak (Bulgarian Easter Sweet Bread)BG1 h 40 minMedium

Desserts

• Revani (Bulgarian Semolina Syrup Cake)BG1 h 10 minEasy
• Tikvenik (Bulgarian Pumpkin and Walnut Filo Pastry)BG1 h 30 minMedium

Pickles and Preserves

• Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish)BG2 h 30 minMedium