Foodies, let it be known: Bulgaria is no place for gourmets – at least according to restaurant owner Maria Duness-Rose. “Our cuisine is rustic,” she says. And actually, she really means it.
Bulgarian cuisine makes use of everything that comes from the ground or is raised on the land. The rest must be made up for with rakia, the Bulgarian liquor that is set out early, with the appetisers.
“We only ever take a small sip,” insists Duness-Rose, who runs a Bulgarian restaurant in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighbourhood.
Besides rakia, Bulgarians love their wine.
“It’s undervalued internationally,” believes Duness-Rose. The alcoholic beverage is even part of Bulgarian history – the ancient Thracian people used it in religious rites.
Bulgaria was in the spotlight recently in Germany thanks to its role as a partner during Berlin’s international Green Week trade exhibition, where visitors were given a glimpse into specialities from the country.
One traditional appetiser on display was Shopska salad, named after the Shopluk region. Finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and onions are dressed with oil and vinegar, then topped with finely grated sheep’s cheese.
Bulgaria is especially proud of its dairy products: In fact, the main bacteria used for turning milk into yoghurt is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This is what gives yoghurt that pleasantly tangy taste.
It’s probably no surprise, then, that yoghurt is an important ingredient in the Bulgarian kitchen. One example is tarator, a cucumber soup eaten cold that’s served as an appetiser.
Other small bites eaten before the meal include Snezhanka salad, or Snow White salad, which features a thick, white cream made from yoghurt, garlic, cucumber and parsley, among other ingredients.
It’s served with grilled courgettes and peppers with their skins removed – “to make the whole dish more refined”, according to Duness-Rose.
When it comes to main dishes, vegetarians and meat-lovers alike won’t be disappointed: Palneni tschuschki, for example, caters to the carnivores with bell peppers stuffed with rice, ground beef, onions, carrots and herbs, while “mish-mash” involves, as the name implies, throwing peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, Bulgarian sheep’s cheese and egg in a clay pot and letting the whole thing simmer together.
Typical sweets draw on Austro-Hungarian dessert culture: Palacsinta are thinly rolled crepe-like pancakes filled with jam, and tikvenik is a strudel made with puff pastry and a sweet filling.
Both are perfect for ending a meal – or starting the day, at breakfast. — dpa/Julia Kirchner
from Food News – Star2.com
Source: The Star Food News
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