Bulgaria is located in the continent of Europe. It has Romania to the north, the Black Sea to the east, Turkey to the southeast, the Aegean Sea and Greece to the south, North Macedonia and Albania to the southwest, Kosovo to the west, and Serbia to the northwest.
The capital is Sofia.
The official language is Bulgarian.
The climate is tempered by the Mediterranean influences to the south and is considered to have a moderate continental climate. Average temperatures range from -37F ~ 113F.
The staple foods are baked goods, breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, meat, rice and pasta along with other amazing foods (https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5567490/staple-foods-in-bulgaria).
https://www.britannica.com/place/Bulgaria
BANITSA – BULGARIAN CHEESE PIE (https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Banitsa—Bulgarian-Cheese-Pie-2577006):
- 500g phyllo pastry sheets
- 5 large free-range eggs
- 1-3/4 C (400g) Bulgarian white cheese, crumbled
- 1 C (245g) plain natural yoghurt, plus extra, to serve
- ½ C (125ml) sunflower oil
- ¼ C (60ml) cold water
- 2 TBSP butter
- Preheat your oven to about 350F.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate and a 9×13 casserole dish with a little oil.
- Crack the eggs into a medium sized bowl and lightly beat them.
- Crumble the white cheese onto the top and stir in.
- Add the yoghurt, oil and water and combine well.
- Unroll the phyllo pastry and working with one sheet at a time lightly drizzle three or four dessert spoons of the egg/cheese mixture over the top. You don’t want to saturate the pastry, just sprinkle it. I then used my hands to distribute the mixture evenly across the pastry dough.
- Loosely roll the sheet of phyllo pastry up like a log and place into your prepared baking tin in a spiral shape.
- Repeat with the remaining layers of pastry.
- If there is any mixture left, drizzle it over the top of the rolls of phyllo.
- Dot with butter and bake for 45 minutes, until golden.
- Leave to cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra yoghurt.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Do not refrigerate as this will cause the pastry to go soggy.
Here is how mine turned out. I decided to use ramekins since I halved the recipe. I also used Crumble Goat Cheese too instead of Bulgarian White Cheese since I could not find it. Still amazing!!
SHOPSKA SALAD (https://www.happyfoodstube.com/shopska-salad-bulgarian-food/):
- 1 C (250g) ripe tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 medium onion
- Handful of flat leaf parsley
- ¼ C (50ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP white wine vinegar (optional)
- 2 green peppers
- 1 C (200g) feta cheese (or Bulgarian Cheese)
- ½ C (120g) olives of your choice
- Wash the peppers.
- Option 1: Place them on a baking tray (lined with tin foil or a baking sheet) and roast for 20 minutes at 380F.
- Take them out and let them cool off before skinning them and taking off the membranes.
- Option 2: Cut the fresh peppers into bite size pieces and add to a large bowl.
- Option 3: Use both fresh and roasted peppers.
- Wash the tomatoes and cucumber.
- Cut them into chunks.
- Wash & finely chop the parsley.
- Peel the onion, half it and slice each half. Separate each slice.
- Add all the vegetables to the bowl, including olives.
- Add Feta cheese (use hands to crumble it or place it in a bowl and use a fork).
- Finally, add olive oil and vinegar.
- Mix well and top with some more crumbled Feta cheese.
- Serve as a starter or as a side dish with some grilled meats.
Great salad!!
BULGARIAN RICE PUDDING (https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/why-viking/community/viking-recipes/desserts/bulgarian-rice-pudding.html):
- ½ C short grain white rice
- 3 TBSP sugar
- 3-3/4 C milk
- 2 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 strip lemon zest
- 2 TBSP pistachios
- Petals from 1sm organic rose
- Place rice, sugar, milk, butter, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Cook over very low heat; do not let it boil, and stir frequently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until mixture is creamy and thick and the rice is tender.
- Discard cinnamon stick and zest.
Such a great recipe!!!
Travel Global Food 