Food

Bulgarian cuisine is worth discovering and tasting in all its variety - it's like the perfect trip: try it once, fall in love with it, and come back for more. The country's signature dishes lean on fresh vegetables, slow-cooked meats and aromatic herbs, with a clear thread of Mediterranean and Balkan influence running through everything.

Soups and stews shape the everyday table: thick and spicy, served hot or cold. Gyuvech is a slow-baked meat-and-vegetable dish - young, fatty meat means no extra oil is needed - while moussaka layers vegetables and rice into one of the country's most beloved comfort foods.

The evening meal is the largest of the day, typically a one-pot dish built around seasonal vegetables and meat. Lunch usually begins with a fresh salad - and Shopska, the iconic Bulgarian salad with tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and grated sirene cheese, is rarely missing from the table.