Weekend Feast of Bulgarian Food

Weekend Feast of Bulgarian FoodWhenever I write about food some of the feedback I get says that there is better food in other parts of the world and that what I say is a distortion of the truth about food in Bulgaria. To me these critics can say what they want. Most that doubt my word haven’t even tried the food I have experienced here. Some may have, but they have only been to restaurant and bars that cater for a more western tourist taste. Until someone has tried home cooked and prepared Bulgarian food in a Bulgarian home with Bulgarian company these ‘mouthful self-righteous’ comments can just be ignored and the writers that compose them have pity taken upon them as they will never ever know.

Weekend Feast of Bulgarian FoodJust to rub noses into the Bulgarian food scene again, this weekend past turned out to be a feast of wonderful food as my farmhouse in Skalitsa. It was opened to family guests, all female Bulgarians bar me. Every woman knew how to cook and cook well. Bulgarian food was on the table from the very first moment we arrived and never stopped right through to Sunday evening when we went back to our Yambol home. Even when we arrived there, Bulgarian food was waiting for us on the table from Baba.


The weekend menu started that very Friday evening:

Local cabbage and carrot salad, (Yambol grown)
barbecued peppers. (Skalitsa Farmhouse produced)
Homemade Barbecued Kyufte (Skalitsa goat based mince)
Local chemical free bread, (Skalitsa made)
Aryan (buttermilk) from Skalitsa cow milk
Homemade Sliva (Plum) Rakia (from Skalitsa sliva )
Ariana Beer (Sofia)

Weekend Feast of Bulgarian FoodThe following morning’s menu:

Homemade pancakes dressed with Skalitsa honey
Banitsa made with sirene and Yambol leeks
Menthe Tea



Lunchtime:
Kyufte (Yesturday's Leftovers)
Cucumber and tomato salad (Yambol produced)
Lemonade (Made in Yambol)


Late afternoon:
Sunflower seeds (Skalitsa produced)


Weekend Feast of Bulgarian FoodThe evening menu:
Shopska Salad
Rakia (Skalitsa Farmhouse Grape based)

Ariana Beer

Oven baked
Baked Yambol Rabbit with fried liver, heart kidney and rice stuffing. Accompanied with onions, garlic, potato carrots and broccoli



Sunday morning:
More freshly cooked pancakes
Menthe Tea
Brazilian Coffee!


Sunday Lunchtime (Late):
Sarma made from Goat mince, Skalitsa Farmhouse vine leaves and Bulgarian rice

There were so many feasting highlights this weekend it was hard to choose the best. The Baked stuffed rabbit got the accolade of the best presented feast. We had to improvise a bit as I didn't have needle and thread in the house being an Englishman's house, so we used a metal skewer to sew up the rabbit stomach to keep the stuffing in.

Weekend Feast of Bulgarian FoodAlso I hadn't mentioned about the pickling that went on as well during the weekend. We now have lots of vegetable in store to last us through the winter. The cabbages will be stored in the massive 240 litres barrels, where the wine has was feremented and turned into Rakia a few days ago.

After a fabulous feasting weekend, it was back to Yambol for more food and drink in the evening. All I can say is Phew! What's more, because all the Bulgarian women about, I didn't have to lift a finger, even though I tried and got told off!




6 comments:

  1. Martin I guess its all a matter of taste. Only yesterday I read a comment on a blog about Thai food, the writer, from across the pond was moaning about the price of Big Macs and that they weren't the same here!!
    Bl**dy hell some folk need to wake up and smell the coffee. If you haven't tried it don't knock it is my adage. Rant over, back to your post. Strikes me you live "the good life" enough said. I feel hungry now, but the nearest pizza hut is 90km away, guess I'll have to settle for some traditional Thai food!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Good Life? Yes and more importantly, that is achieved working very hard for a living on a nominal income!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Martin,
    I read every post of yours of yours, and have done so for the last couple of months, ever since I discovered your blog.
    One thing irritates me however, and that is the fact that you do not edit before publishing...Please cut out the spelling and grammatical mistakes!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Nightcabcontroller,
    Thank you for your attention here and you comments are taken on board. Can I just mention that it is hard for me when I do edit, and I do, as I am dyslexic. It take me two or three times longer to write articles and I can't always follow sentence grammar or see spelling errors even though I know how to spell them. I will for course try to find other strategies to overcome this irritation for some readers. Finding someone else to proofread my articles are impossible as no one speaks English here. Reat assured I take you comments on board and thank you for pointing this out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. well, i do believe the food you cook is really delicious. just by looking at them, i became hungry even after eating dinner! hehe. i hope i can cook just like you.

    anyway, i am now following your blog. hope you follow my blog, too! thanks.

    www.healthnbeyond.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good for you, Martin! I always say chemical free food is the best and am always interested in trying new foods. I've been cooking from scratch, chemical free (as much as possible here in the States) since 1983. I hope you gave the others the satisfaction of deleting their comment. That's one backlink I wouldn't give up willingly! OH...thanks for visiting my site!

    ReplyDelete

Awards

Expat Blog Award