The best season to visit Bulgaria is with no doubts the summer. An abundance of fruit and vegetables, endless beaches, bars, festivals, good vibes and the blue sky. Thus, food is one of the must-try things I would recommend to anyone who visits Bulgaria to not miss out. Also, Bulgarian food is seasonal, traditional, local and super delicious. Here is my selection of Bulgarian summer refreshing dishes absolutely to try in Bulgaria.
Table of Contents
Bulgarian cold soup – Tarator
The first and the ultimate summer dish on my list is Tarator. Tarator is a cold soup and you can order it everywhere. Besides, tarator is a soup made of yoghurt, fresh cucumbers, dill, walnuts, garlic and a little bit of sunflower oil and water. You can also prepare it at home and according to my husband (who is a Tarator Master), the secret is to salt the cucumbers before adding the yoghurt diluted with water. Go Bulgarian and try Tarator!
Shopska salad
Another summer refreshing Bulgarian dish is Shopska salad. Although served throughout the year as it’s a Bulgarian signature starter, Shopska salad is a must-eat in the summer when the vegetables are fresh. Therefore, shopska salad with grilled red pepper and Bulgarian white cheese is the best accompaniment for a glass of Rakia.
Fried courgettes with yoghurt sauce
The third Bulgarian summer dish is fried courgettes with yoghurt sauce. Bulgarian people eat lots of courgettes in the summer. However, the best courgettes are fried courgettes with yoghurt sauce. Also, some restaurants offer courgettes’ chips with garlic sauce. Bon appetit!
Boiled corn
Furthermore comes the boiled corn – yes, Bulgarians eat boiled corn in the summer. For me, it’s not a snack, it’s the perfect dinner with a salad or a tarator. What you need is young corn, boil it for a while and salt it abundantly. Voila!
Traditional Bulgarian Summer Pepper dish
Last but not least is a regional dish originating in Northern Bulgaria and called Pepper dish. It’s a complicated vegetable stew made of fried red pepper, aubergines, tomatoes, sour cream, milk and eggs. In addition, this dish requires a lot of products, energy and patience, but it’s so gusto!!!! Unfortunately, the only way to try it is to be invited to a homemade Bulgarian reunion. No restaurant offers this dish. Hence, I just love it and prepare it very often in the summer.
Did I wake up the gourmet traveller in you with this delicious selection of Bulgarian Summer Refreshing Dishes? When do you head to Bulgaria?
Thanks for reading!