The Most Delicious Dishes in Bulgarian Cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine combines the traditional dishes of our lands with the spiciness, appetizing appearance and unique aroma of the Orient. A combination created over the centuries… And the most delicious are the wonderful ingredients from the Balkans which fascinates every foreigner.
Among the most popular products used in Bulgarian cuisine are white brined cheese and yogurt, and all well-known recipes have been created for centuries. But who are the most liked by foreigners? Those who leave them speechless, you can see in our top 5.
The Most Liked Meals from the Bulgarian Cuisine
Shopska and Shepherd’s Salad
Undoubtedly, the Shopska salad is the leader in the ranking, but we put it in the first place together with the Shepherd’s salad, because it is not inferior to it. The wonderful combination of vegetable flavors is something that most people “fall in love” with.
Yoghurt
Our country is known around the world, especially in Asia, with the yoghurt. For us, yogurt may be quite ordinary, but travelers who have not tried it always remain fascinated.
Banitsa
Quick, easy and very tasty! If you have guests from another country, be sure to prepare banitsa for them. We guarantee that they will like it.
Moussaka
It is not a completely Bulgarian dish, but if we have to characterize the Balkan cuisine as a whole, we will note that there are many similar recipes with some variations in different places.
Barbecue
Lamb or piglet (whichever you prefer), roasted on embers = meat that just falls apart and melts in your mouth. The aroma is simply indescribable.
A Brief History of Bulgarian Cuisine
We have already mentioned that nowadays the cuisine combines the traditions and tastes of the Balkan peoples with those of the Asian world. In the past, the creation of the Bulgarian state marked the beginning of the merging of the kitchens of the Thracians, Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians. Thus, a common national cuisine is gradually being built, in which each of the ethnic groups has its contribution.
According to the researches, the main ingredients of ancient cuisine in our lands were traditional vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips, onions, garlic), various types of meat (sheep, goat, pork, beef, poultry, game), cereals ( millet, oats, barley, rye, wheat), as well as legumes (beans, lentils, peas, vetch). Later (sometime around the 16th and 17th centuries), recipes began to be enriched with plants and animals found in America. Previously unknown foods such as beans, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, sunflowers, turkey and others appear. But that’s not all, the mix becomes even bigger with the addition of rice, eggplant and special spices from the east. After the Liberation, European cuisine began to have a serious influence.
After 1965, many of the main ingredients were missing from the market, so people began to replace them with others that are still part of our national cuisine. For example, butter has been replaced with lard, olives – with pickles… Balkantourist creates some of the emblematic dishes of our country. Then the transition required other innovations such as various modifications of “Shopska salad”, “Shepherd’s salad”, “Mill salad”, kavrma.
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If you want something really very tasty, welcome to the Simona restaurant. Here we prepare everything with passion and attention to detail, because the ultimate goal is to achieve a uniquely delicious result.
The Secrets of the Perfect Barbecue
We are at such a time of year that it smells like barbecue everywhere. No matter how much you like meat, this aroma will not leave you impartial. We have to admit that it is very tasty, and it is easy to prepare. However, there are some subtleties that are good to know when you cooking barbecue food to make sure you get the best results. We from Art Hotel Simona and Simona Restaurant have collected some tips and we are happy to share them with you.
Before that let’s go back into the time and trace the history of this way of cooking meat. People have used it since 1.8 million years ago, according to Planet Barbecue (Workman Publishing, 2010).
Briefly About the Appearance of the Barbecue
Well, in the form in which we now know the barbecue – grilled meat or oven, covered with spices and sauce, it is assumed that the tradition originated in the Caribbean. The first drawings of such cooking are by Spaniards who arrive in the Caribbean and discover that the locals roast the caught fish and game on fire, placed on special wooden panels. They themselves called the method “barbacoa”.
According to a legend, the man who carried the idea into European cuisine was the sailor Christopher Columbus. He arrived in these lands in the 15th century and was amazed by the cooking of the local tribes. The taste left him speechless, because he had never tried anything like it before.
Whether the story of Columbus is quite real, we can not be sure, but the reason for baking at low temperature for a long time is crystal clear. Wild meat is tougher and therefore needs longer heat treatment.
Modern Version of the Barbecue
In the current version, the barbecue comes from African slaves in the United States of America, who were given the worst part of the meat. That’s why they had to somehow prepare it to soften and make it more juicy. It turned out that barbecue is the most suitable option.
Tips for the Perfect Barbecue
Do not Use a Gas Barbecue
There are different ways to cook a barbecue, but most experts recommend not using a gas grill. With this type of barbecue you get the necessary heat, but the taste is completely different.
Do not Increase the Temperature
The right way to cook a barbecue is at a low temperature and slowly, so be patient.
Marinate the Meat in Advance
Prepare your favorite marinade sauce and let it stand for a few hours or even overnight. If you do not have that much time, you can speed up the process by leaving the meat out of the refrigerator. At room temperature it will taste and flavor much faster.
Cut Just Before Serving
After roasting the meat, also let it stand for a while – a few minutes. Cut just before you start eating to keep it juicy and tender.
Air Circulation is the Main Secret
The meat should not touch anything other than the grill, ie. the fire must be low. Bake on a flameless embers.
Prepare the Grill So That the Meat Does not Stick
It is good to grease it a few minutes before putting the products on the grill. Red onions also work.
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If you want to eat something tasty and you don’t want to prepare it, welcome to Simona Restaurant. Here we approach cooking as an art and always try to offer our guests uniquely delicious culinary masterpieces.
Tips for Beginner Cooks (Units of Measurement)
Anyone who has experimented in the kitchen at least once has encountered “units of measurement” such as a tablespoon of salt or a cup of coffee oil. And you’ve probably wondered if you would do something wrong. That’s why, so you can be a little more confident next time, we offer you a short but very valuable guide to measuring products “by eye”.
And one more thing – don’t forget that the skill is mastered by practice, so don’t worry about making mistakes! You can get an unexpectedly good result, because the real culinary art is a passion that requires love, desire and a small dose of madness.
How to measure products without a kitchen scales?
1 pinch = about 1 g (salt, sugar, flour, red and black pepper)
1 handful of salt = about 80 g
1 lump of sugar = about 6 g
1 medium egg = about 50 g
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If you do not like cooking or just want to try something new and different, welcome to our restaurant “Simona”. Along with the pleasant art atmosphere, we promise you a unique taste that delights the senses.
