Bulgaria: Must Try Foods you Need to Know

I ate gooood in Bulgaria, with the manager of the hostel keeping a constant supply of chocolate in the staff pantry. Most of my meals were cooked at home, a welcome change from months of eating out. We came together as a mini hostel family almost daily to cook and eat together. I did have some memorable meals out…

Seafood

When I traveled to the Black Sea we had the best and cheapest seafood! For five euros we each got a salad, calamari, this huge fish pictured below, and water! We had come into the restaurant to escape the freak thunderstorm that appeared but I am so glad we did. The fish was some of the best I have had, even if a bone did get stuck in my throat.

Shopska Salad

A Balkan classic I would end up eating almost daily during my time in the region. This is a cold salad made with tomatoes, onion, and cucumber typically. Cheese is almost always added and at times other veggies based on seasonality. It seems so simple but oh man it is delicious.

Boza

This is a weird one. Boza is a fermented malt drink popular in the region. It is hard to describe the flavor, but it is thick. I tell people that when you try it, it’s not sweet, but it’s not sour. It’s not bad, but it’s not good. Everyone has agreed. I tried a blueberry boza in Macedonia and I preferred it more than the Bulgarian variant.

Soup

Unknown to me, soup bars are huge in Sofia. For a few euros you can get a huge bowl of soup. Sign me up!

Pastry

Bulgarians do love their pastries. Common for breakfast, this is a flakey pastry made with butter, eggs, and cheese! Similar to Turkey, dairy is super important in Bulgaria.

Home cooking!

As I said earlier, we cooked most of our meals. It really brought everyone together, food is a bonding tool!

In Macedonia, I ate my life away when I was living with some grandparents. I have never eaten that much in my life and my stomach is still trying to shrink down to a normal size.

T