Food and Drinks

The basic food products of the traditional Bulgarian cuisine are beans, sour and fresh milk, cheese, tomatoes, paprika, potatoes, onions, apples, watermelons, and grapes. Bulgarians consume all kinds of meat from industrially bred animals and fowls, fresh-water and sea fish, more seldom (wild) game. Bread is invariantly present on Bulgarian dinner table. The tradition of meeting visitors with bread and salt is very much alive. Food products can be purchased in all food stores and supermarkets, as well as on the direct producer-consumer market.

Cooked food is served in catering establishments, pizza stands and restaurants, the prices depending on the category of the catering establishment. The most frequent meat specialities are kebapcheta (minced-meat rolls) and kyufteta (meatballs), shish kebab (grilled meat on skewers), steaks, and loukanka (salami); tarator (cold summer soup), banitsa (sheeted pastry with cheese), paprika stuffed with eggs and cheese, Russian salad, aubergine puree, Shopska salad and caramel custard - of the meatless dishes. Bulgarian sour milk is worldwide famous - cow's milk, sheep's milk and buffalo-cow's milk - all of various taste and cream content. By no chance the microorganisms that are of a yeast-type and make this divine product are called Lactobacterium Bulgaricum (Grigoroff). Along with the oil-yielding rose, which is part of every nice perfume, the milk of Bulgarian origin is among the most demanded goods at the stocks worldwide.

Bulgaria is one of the world's major wine exporters and Bulgarian wines are famed for their exceptional quality. The traditional Bulgarian alcoholic concentrate is called rakiya. Prime quality rakiya are used as a medicine in traditional medicine. Nevertheless, imported brand drinks are available everywhere. Their price is close to that in the producer countries. All alcoholic drinks should mandatory bear an excise band.