I guess you’ve heard about the Christmas markets in Europe, the red wine, the hand-made decorations, the music, lights, and the traditional food. But, do you know why on Christmas Eve in Bulgaria you will find either 7, 9 or 12 different dishes? Why do we put garlic, honey, walnuts, and wheat on the table? And as soon as everyone is seated, why no one is allowed to leave the table?

If you really want to understand our traditions we will need to start with the very very beginning. They might sound a bit weird but in the end, they will all make perfect sense to you.

1.Garlic, honey and wheat… Wait, what?

The Bulgarians are very superstitious that’s why they will never seat without having garlic on their table. It is believed to protect the house from evil, bad thoughts and against cold, of course. You can see a small pot with honey as a symbol of the “sweet life” and walnuts to predict the health of the family members. If the walnut is full, then the person will be healthy, but if it’s empty or rotten – you probably can guess the answer.

2. Vegan food. You won’t believe, but it is delicious!

On this day the food is only vegan, so no dairy products and meat. Women choose mainly food that swells like beans, rice, wheat etc. They believe the seeds are symbol of the fertility, health and that they will help the maidens to get pregnant. Bean soup, sauerkraut leafs filled with rice and stuffed dry peppers with potatoes are only 3 of the main dishes.  

3. Ritual Bread and lucky charms.

The oldest woman in the house will hide in the bread small items wrapped in tinfoil before she bakes it. Every item has its own meaning. For example, the coin is for wealth, the knob is for work, the willow branch is for health, the little piece of paper is for study and the bean is for productivity. Nowadays the young generation wraps small messages instead just to make it more fun.

4. Sour pastries and sugar, sugar, sugar!

Of course, there is our famous Banitsa (the filled pastry usually with eggs and cheese), but on this day you will find it with two different fillings. One will be with sauerkraut (called “zelnik”) and the other one will be with grated pumpkin and brown sugar (called “tikvenik”). In some regions, the elderly women will prepare “baklava” – a rich sweet dessert made of layers of tin unleavened dough filled with chopped nuts and held together with syrup made of sugar or honey.

5. Honey Water

The water this evening must be sweet too. We boil a variety of dried fruits, put sugar or honey in it and we call it “oshav” (ошав). To be honest, the combination of this sweetness with the sauerkraut and the salty bean soup is absolutely my favourite, although many people find it strange.  

6. Now let’s go back to the numerology. 

Why the number of the dishes are so important and what meaning stands behind each one? Clearly, 7 are the days of the week, the pregnancy lasts for 9 months and 12 are the months of the year. Believe me, there is no a single Christmas’s dinner when we seat on the table before we count the meals.

7. And now let’s count to 12…

Before we seat down we need to make sure that everything is set because no one is allowed to leave the table before we finish with our food. And so it begins – 1. Bread 2. Oshav (sweet water) 3.Bean soup 4. Sarmi (sauerkraut roles filled with rice) 5. Peppers (dry red peppers filled with potatoes or beans)  6. Fresh fruits 7. Walnuts 8. Honey 9. Zelnik (pastry with sauerkraut) 10. Tikvenik (pastry with grated pumpkin) 11. Wheat 12. Baklava (the sweet dessert).

The biggest honour of splitting the round loaf is always given to the oldest man in the house. The first piece of the bread he puts aside for the Mother of God so she won’t feel hungry ever again and another for the house. He is the one to say the blessing and the only one who can go and get the salt and pepper, (which we usually forget in the kitchen). Bending down he shows respect to the Earth, prays for a fertile and full harvest.

And as I’ve mentioned already, Bulgarians are superstitious … On this night the family will leave all the food on the table for the deceased people. We believe that the lost members of the family will come during the night and when they see all the food left for them, they will know they’ve not been forgotten.

Merry Christmas & Весела Коледа

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Now get into your 5 senses…which pops into your mind first? Perhaps it will be your sense of taste.

This is NOT just a list of Traditional Bulgarian dishes that you must try! This is a Guide for a day in the Life of one true Bulgarian.

MORNING

 Wake up with the local hens, dogs bark… or just the traffic.  What Bulgarians eat in the morning?! Pancakes, eggs, sausages, fruits, vegetables – absolutely. But what do they really start with?

Popara „попара“– this is a combination of bread, sugar, hard white cheese and either tea or hot milk. Sometimes we put honey, sometimes butter, but in general if the bread is from the last week we will either fry it with eggs or crumble it in hot milk/tea.

Panagyurski’s Eggs – imagine now Eggs Benedict but instead of Hollandaise sauce we put yogurt with garlic and on the top – fried paprika with melted butter…  Yummy

Banitsa – pastry filled with white hard cheese, eggs, butter and yogurt. We also eat the Banitsa while drinking Ayran (yogurt with salt and water). Sometimes can be sweet.

Mekici and Buhtichki – O Mama Mia … kneaded dough made with yogurt that is deep fried often powdered with sugar or garnished with jam, honey and white hard cheese. Double Yummy

LUNCH

Let’s start with the tomatoes… You can call it Shopska’s Salad, Harvester’s Salad too… or the Buffalo Heart Tomatoes with the White Hard Cheese… People are always amazed by the size and the taste of the Bulgarian Pink tomato, often called the Buffalo’s heart between the locals. Yes, they do not have the perfect shape, but OMG they certainly have the perfect taste.

Tarator

Dairy lovers may be aware that the bacteria strain needed to produce yoghurt’s mild texture is called Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. But did you know that these natural bacteria are found only in mammals and plants living in Bulgaria? It’s true! Yogurt… Yep. It is definitely a MUST TRY. We put yogurt on anything, we drink yogurt on breakfast, on lunch and on dinner with the local brandy (Rakija)… we have summer soup made of yogurt called “Tarator”(salt, garlic, cucumbers and dill)… and we are using it even against sunburn … the hangover too… I will have to write till tomorrow..

Shkembe Chorba

Here comes the weird meat guts and inwards, fried and topped with lots of spices. We have this strange Tripe Soup called – Shkembe Chorba that Bulgarians sometimes have it even in the morning. Why? Because it’s spicy, buttery and with guess what – garlic, vinegar and chili, and that my friend really helps with hangovers. Bulgarians order beer with it, strangely enough.

But let’s say that you are not up to this soup really. What would be the first choice of one Bulgarian for lunch? Salad or Tarator as a starter and we continue with Meatballs – Kiufteta „Кюфтета“ , Meat fingers – Kebapcheta „Кебапчета“ , Ribs „Ребра“ … Pulneni Chushki „Пълнени Чушки“ (filled peppers with meat and rice or potatoes) ask the waiter for the Lunch Menu (it is cheaper and everything is cooked just recently, so it will come right away).

And just about to forget the most important thing – the bread. If you come across Purlenka (flat baked bread look like pizza but it’s topped with butter, garlic and savory) or Gypsy Banitsa (fried bread with butter and different spices, again with garlic) – IT IS A MUST.

DINNER

Starter:

Salad, of course! We eat the salad as an appetizer, but not only! Actually the salad is our starter, main course and dessert. Like you would probably order French fries (which are not French) with your beer, Bulgarians will order Shopska’s Salad with their Rakija (strong alcoholic drink and NO – it is not digestive shot, although it helps a lot with the digestive process…) People around the world would mostly prefer strong alcohol in a combination with soft drink, meanwhile Bulgarians would drink the Rakija with Tarator in a glass (or Ayran).

While waiting for the main course you would probably think of some bread and butter… But wait a second. You are in Bulgaria! Order cold plate with some dry meat cuts (Lukanka – dried strong flavoured meat, Fillet Elena – dry cured ham, Sudjuk – dry spicy sausage etc), white cheese and breaded chicken fingers.

Main course:

Most of our traditional meals are cooked in a huge clay pots. If a Bulgarian does not have one in their kitchen he is probably not a Bulgarian. You should look for Guvech „Гювеч“ or Kavurma (meat mixed with vegetables). The small portion would be Gyuveche, but be careful, because often you might find Sirene po Shopski „Сирене по Шопски“ (Shopsko’s cheese – white hard cheese cooked with tomatoes) which is cooked in a small clay pot but has completely different taste. For the meat lovers, don’t miss the Kapama „Капама” (seasonal dish, you will find it mostly during the winter – combination of sauerkraut and meat) or Sach „Сач“(grilled or fried pieces of meat and vegetables again served in a clay pot).

We continue with the drinks and the salad. So don’t be surprised if the waiter leaves all the plates on the table and especially the salad. If you want a clean table than probably you are about to leave the Restaurant and next thing you will receive will be the bill.

Dessert

This is a women thing. The guys would probably order another drink while the women will finish with Biskvitena Torta (home-made creamy biscuit cake with milk and white vanilla cream). Cream Caramel or Pancakes with chocolate, but sometimes you can find Sweet Banica (the pastry from the morning but this time filled with pumpkin/apple and sugar) and Sutliaj – „Сутляж“(milk with rice and sugar)

In OVERALL Bulgarians eat a lot of things that involve yogurt and white hard cheese, garlic, spices and mostly chili. And don’t forget the tomatoes…

If you decide to do a day like this one I can only wish you LUCK and tell you to be careful with the Rakija. Keep the camera away from your friends too 😉 

Looking for more ideas:

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IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PRIVATE TOUR AND WANT TO DISCOVER MORE THAN THE TOURIST SIGHTS, THAN YOUR GUIDES ARE WAITING FOR YOU…

Did we get your attention? Let’s start our journey through Bulgaria together and discover it all!  

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The post O, BULGARIAN CUISINE! appeared first on Bulgaria Tours | Sofia Day Trips | Private Tours | Undiscovered Bulgaria.