eastern-europe

Bulgaria

Explore 106 foods connected to Bulgaria, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.

106 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides

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Bulgaria Essentials

12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.

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Traditional foods from Bulgaria.

106 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.

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106 foods

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Serbia

Ajvar

Ајвар

Relish made from roasted peppers and eggplants, a popular condiment throughout the Balkans, traditionally prepared in autumn, versatile and savory.

SpreadsCommon

Turkey

Ayran

Ajran

Ayran is a cold drink of yogurt, water and salt, whisked until lightly foamy. In Bulgaria it is a summer fountain and meal drink, never a sweet yogurt.

Traditional DrinksCommon

Lebanon

Baklava

بقلاوة

Layers of paper-thin phyllo brushed with butter and filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios, baked crisp then drenched in lemon- or rose-scented sugar syrup. One square, cut diamond-small, is the shared Ottoman dessert of the whole eastern Mediterranean.

PastriesCommon

Bulgaria

Banitsa

Баница

Hand-stretched filo layered with white brine cheese beaten into eggs and yogurt, coiled or stacked in a round pan and baked until the top blisters.

PastriesCommon

Bulgaria

Bean Soup

Боб чорба

Dried beans stewed with onion, carrot, tomato, paprika and a fistful of dried savory — the everyday soup of the countryside and army canteens alike.

SoupsCommon

Varna, Bulgaria

Black Sea Fish Soup

Рибена чорба

Black Sea fish simmered with rice, tomato and vegetables, soured with lemon and finished with lovage.

SoupsUncommon

Varna, Bulgaria

Black Sea Mussels

Черноморски миди

Small, intensely saline Black Sea mussels steamed with white wine or breaded and fried, sold in cones along the promenades.

ShellfishCommon

Varna, Bulgaria

Black Sea Turbot

Калкан

The prized flat fish of the Bulgarian coast, cut in thick steaks, floured and pan-fried or grilled, served with lemon only.

FishRare

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian Sarma

Sarma

A Bosnian dish of pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with minced beef or lamb, rice, onion and paprika, slow-simmered in a flavourful broth, often with smoked meat.

PorkCommon

Prizren, Albania

Boza

Боза

A thick, tangy, and slightly sweet fermented drink made from millet, wheat, or bulgur. With ancient roots in Central Asia, boza is traditionally consumed in winter, sold by street vendors whose calls echo through neighborhoods at night. It is topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas (leblebi) and has a low alcohol content of about one percent.

Traditional DrinksUncommon

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Kyufte

Кюфте

The flattened round counterpart of the kebapche — the same cumin-heavy pork and beef mince, patted into a disc and charcoal-grilled.

Grilled MeatsCommon

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Musaka

Мусака

Diced potato — not aubergine — layered with minced pork, onion and paprika, then covered with a yogurt-and-egg topping that bakes into a pale golden crust.

StewsCommon

Serbia

Bulgarian Popara

Попара

A Bulgarian breakfast of stale bread or kozunak soaked in hot milk, tea or yogurt, with crumbled sirene cheese and a knob of butter.

PorridgeUncommon

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Rakia

Ракия

Fruit brandy distilled from grapes, plums or apricots, usually 40% and often home-made; drunk cold in small glasses alongside salad, never after dinner.

SpiritsCommon

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Roast Lamb

Агнешко печено

Whole or jointed spring lamb roasted with butter and dried savory, traditional for St George's Day on 6 May when it is eaten across the country.

LambUncommon

Thrace, Bulgaria

Bulgarian Rose Water

Българска розова вода

Distilled from Rosa damascena picked before dawn in the Valley of Roses, used by the spoonful in lokum, syrups and rose jam.

Seasonings & Spice BlendsUncommon

Albania

Bulgarian White Brine Cheese

Сирене

Sheep's or cow's milk cheese ripened in brine in wooden barrels or tins — sharp, crumbly and salty, and present at essentially every Bulgarian meal.

CheesesCommon

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Yogurt

Кисело мляко

Yogurt set with Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacterium named for the country — thick, sharply sour and eaten plain rather than sweetened.

YogurtCommon

Thrace, Bulgaria

Byalo Sladko

Бяло сладко

A spoon sweet of nothing but sugar, water, lemon and a drop of mastic or vanilla, whipped opaque white and eaten off the spoon with cold water.

CandyUncommon

Bulgaria

Cherni Vit Sirene

Зелено сирене от Черни Вит

Slow Food-protected green-mold sheep’s cheese from Cherni Vit.

CheesesRare

Bulgaria

Chicken Soup with Rice

Пилешка супа

Clear chicken broth with rice or fine noodles, carrot and parsley, finished with a beaten egg-and-yogurt liaison stirred in off the heat.

SoupsCommon

Bulgaria

Chomlek

Чомлек

Beef and whole small onions stewed slowly in red wine and bay until the onions collapse into the sauce.

StewsUncommon

Varna, Bulgaria

Dimyat

Димят

Dry white wine from Dimyat, an indigenous grape grown mostly on the Black Sea coast, with citrus and green-apple notes.

WineUncommon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dolma

دلمه

Vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, or zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of rice, pine nuts, currants, and sometimes ground meat. The olive-oil vegetarian version (zeytinyağlı dolma) is served cold and is a staple of the Turkish meze table.

VegetablesCommon

United Arab Emirates

Dolmades

Ντολμάδες

Greek stuffed grape leaves with rice, herbs, and olive oil, rolled into small parcels. A meze and Clean Monday staple, tangy and herby, served cold with lemon, a national dish.

VegetablesCommon

Bulgaria

Drob Po Selski

Дроб по селски

Pan-fried chicken liver with onion, peppers and sirene is a rustic Bulgarian mehana starter.

Offal & Organ MeatsUncommon

Bulgaria

Drob Sarma

Дроб сарма

Lamb offal and liver chopped with rice, spring onion and mint, baked and covered with a yogurt-and-egg custard that sets into a pale crust.

Offal & Organ MeatsUncommon

Bulgaria

Drusan Kebap

Друсан кебап

Drusan kebap is a Bulgarian scrambled pork-and-pepper skillet finished with egg.

StewsUncommon

Bulgaria

Ekmek Kadayıfı

Екмек кадаиф

A dessert made from a special dried bread base that is rehydrated and baked in syrup, then topped with kaymak. Originating from Afyonkarahisar, it has a pudding-like, syrup-soaked texture with a crispy top. Served warm with a dollop of clotted cream.

PuddingsUncommon