What to Eat in Bulgaria Pt. 2

In part one of “What to Eat in Bulgaria” I told you about typical Bulgarian dishes you might like and you might order in restaurants. Here, in part two, I would like to talk about food you cannot find at restaurants (at least not most of the time) but you can have to try.

1. Lutenitza:Lutenitza is a traditional (let us call it) sauce, made of red peppers and tomatoes. That is why it has red-orange color. It is very tasty and Bulgarians really like it. It is usually eaten on top of a piece of bread. One of the best things you can eat in the morning or when you are very hungry and you just have to time to cook is lutenitza with bread and traditional Bulgarian cheese. These last two go great together. Children often eat lutenitza with bread and cheese so we could easily say that Bulgarians grow up with that combination.
2. Batinza:Banitza is one of the best meals you could try. It is… I cannot even describe how it is made. That is why I am going to cite a description in Wikipedia (this old Wikipedia is always there to help ;))). So, Wikipedia says that batiza is: “prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggsand pieces of cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven”. If you cannot imagine it, that is ok, just try it

   if you ever come to Bulgaria. Batinza has this very nice and rich taste Bulgarians associate with their homeland. There is a variety of banitzas. The typical one has white cheese, but you can also find it with spinach, onions, and even potatoes. There is also sweet banitza which is usually filled with apples or pumpkin. It is very tasty as well. Banitza is considered breakfast but it could be eaten any time of the day. So, it is not strictly breakfast, since it is not sweet. However, be aware! If you want to try good banitza and not some shitty one, you have to find someone who could prepare it for you. I do not know… maybe find a Bulgarian friend who has a nice mother or grandmother. You can easily find banitza at any corner but you do not want to try it there. I am not saying it is too bad or anything, but it has lower quality and if you are banitza newcomer, you definitely have to go for the homemade version. There are many bakeries in Bulgaria which offer different sorts of stuff and are very cheap, but unfortunately their banitza is not the one.

3. Boza:When talking about banitza I cannot forget to mention boza. It is a very typical drink I have never seen anywhere else but in my homeland. If I have to be honest most foreigners hate it. I honestly cannot say why. Boza is a bit weird. It is prepared of ingredients similar to the ones used for beer but the taste has nothing to do. It has brown color and looks like chocolate milk but its taste has nothing to do with chocolate milk either (except for the fact both are sweet). I cannot describe boza’s taste. It is sweet and weird… that is how much I can say. Oh, and supposedly it has a bit of alcohol but the percentage is really low so do not worry about it. 
4. Yogurt!Yogurt is special in Bulgaria. A bacteria, named Bacilicus bulgaricus causes our milk to become really dense and sour when turned into yogurt. Everything you have tried before has nothing to do. If you can find good, proper Bulgarian yogurt, you will know what I am talking about. Bulgarian yogurt is very, very dense and creamy. Actually, you can sometimes eat it with a fork. It is great for the health (especially your digestive system). I have heard that people in certain regions of Bulgaria live really long. They eat  a lot of yogurt, potatoes,  legumes and not much more. Yogurt can be combined with fresh fruit or fruit jellies. A great combination is yogurt with blueberries or raspberries, for example. Try it! It is also used for the preparation oftarator, a cold soup with cucumbers. You can drink yogurt in the form of a beverage. You mix it with some water and salt if you like, and you have a great  refreshing drink for the summer. It is very popular in Bulgaria. Again, if you want to try  traditional Bulgarian yogurt, you should probably go to some village and look carefully. The yogurt you can buy in the supermarkets or even the small shops is not good. It is not creamy and nobody know what exactly does it contain.
5. Shkembe chorba:Shekmbe chorba is a type of a soup, very favorite to some. It is a bit weird, because it usually made of the stomach of an animal. I personally do not like it, but many people in Bulgaria just love it, so maybe (if you are brave enough), you should try it too. Some claim it is great for getting sober after a hard night of drinking and partying.

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