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30/10/2025

Recette de la semaine : Tikvenik – gâteau feuilleté à la citrouille

Le mois d’octobre sans citrouille en Bulgarie ? Impossible !
Traditionnellement, la citrouille est l’un des ingrédients les plus appréciés dans la cuisine bulgare, pour les desserts d’automne et d’hiver.
Voici la première d’une série de recettes bulgares appréciées que nous allons vous présenter : le Tikvenik, un délicieux gâteau feuilleté à la citrouille, croustillant à l’extérieur et fondant à l’intérieur.

🧺 Ingrédients :

1. 1 paquet de feuilles de pâte filo
2. 600 g de citrouille râpée
3. 100 g de sucre
4. 80 ml d’huile (ou beurre fondu)
5. 100 g de noix concassées
6. 1 c. à café de cannelle
(facultatif : raisins secs, vanille, miel ou sucre glace pour décorer)

Préparation :
Préparez la garniture :
Melangez la citrouille râpée avec le sucre jusqu’à ce qu’elle , les noix et la canelle.

Montez le gâteau :
Étalez deux feuilles de pâte filo, badigeonnez-les d’huile, puis déposez un peu de garniture sur le bord.
Roulez délicatement les feuilles pour former un long rouleau.
Répétez jusqu’à épuisement des ingrédients.

Disposez les rouleaux :
Placez-les dans un plat huilé, en spirale ou en couches, selon la forme souhaitée.
Badigeonnez le dessus d’un peu d’huile.

Cuisson :
Faites cuire à 180 °C pendant 35 à 40 minutes, jusqu’à ce que le dessus soit doré et croustillant.

Finition :
Saupoudrez de sucre glace ou nappez d’un filet de miel juste avant de servir.

29/09/2025

Joyeux debut de la semaine!
Recette de lundi!
🍎 Gâteau aux pommes et aux noix (style bulgare)
Ingrédients :
• 4–5 pommes moyennes
• 1 verre de sucre (vous pouvez mélanger sucre blanc et sucre roux)
• 2 verres de farine
• 1 verre de noix concassées
• ½ verre d’huile (ou de beurre fondu)
• 1 c. à café de bicarbonate de soude (ou 1 sachet de levure chimique)
• 1 c. à café de cannelle
• 1 pincée de sel
• Vanille (facultatif)

Préparation :
1. Préparer les pommes
Épluchez les pommes, râpez-les grossièrement et mélangez-les avec la moitié du sucre et la cannelle.
Laissez reposer 10–15 minutes pour qu’elles rendent leur jus.
2. Ingrédients secs
Dans un autre bol, mélangez la farine, le bicarbonate (ou la levure), le reste du sucre, le sel et les noix.
3. Mélanger
Ajoutez les pommes avec leur jus au mélange sec.
Versez l’huile (ou le beurre fondu) et mélangez délicatement jusqu’à obtenir une pâte épaisse de type gâteau.
4. Cuisson
Versez la pâte dans un moule huilé et fariné.
Faites cuire au four préchauffé à 180°C pendant 35–40 minutes environ, jusqu’à ce que le gâteau soit doré et qu’un cure-dent en ressorte sec.
5. Servir
Laissez tiédir puis saupoudrez de sucre glace ou servez avec une boule de glace à la vanille.

C’est une recette simple, parfumée et très conviviale, typique des foyers bulgares.

11/08/2025

Recipe of the week:
Пържени кюфтета с доматен сос (Fried Meatballs with Tomato Sauce)
Fried meatballs with tomato sauce, is not only an italian thing, but a very liked classical dish served usually in the Summer days. But instead of pasta, Bulgarians like to eat it with soft and tasty white bread! yummyyy

Here comes te recipe:

For the Meatballs:
1kg minced meat (can be a mix of pork and beef, or just one type)

1 onion (finely chopped)
1 slice of bread (soaked in a little water or milk)
1 egg
2 tsp chopped parsley
Salt, paprika and black pepper to taste
Flour (for dusting)

Oil for frying - usually in bulgaria we use sunflower seed oil

For the Tomato Sauce:
1kg tomato puree or grated fresh tomatoes (or canned tomatoes)
2 garlic clove (pressed)
1 tsp sugar (to balance the acidity)
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
2–3 tbsp oil

A little water (if the sauce is too thick)

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

👩‍🍳 Preparation:
1. Making the Meatballs:
In a large bowl, mix the minced meat, grated onion, soaked and squeezed bread, egg, spices, and parsley.

Knead the mixture well. Optionally, refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes to firm up.

Form the mixture into meatballs with wet hands ( the original shape is not like a ball, but a pressed ball-burger like). Lightly coat them in flour.

Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the meatballs until golden brown on all sides.

2. Making the Tomato Sauce:
In a saucepan, heat 2–3 tbsp oil. Sauté the finely chopped onion until golden. ( or you can just put the sauce in the pan, where the meatballs where fried, but remove the oil before that, like that some taste will be added to the sauce as well)

Add the garlic and stir for a brief moment.

Pour in the tomatoes (or puree), add sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Simmer for about 10–15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. If needed, add a little water.

If you prefer, you can blend the sauce for a smooth texture.

3. Serving:
Place the meatballs in the sauce and let them simmer together for an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or simply with bread.

picture courtesy: https://mycookinnotes.blogspot.com/2014/03/blog-post_18.html

07/08/2025

Cultural tip of the week:
Ethnographic Museum
The Ethnographic Museum in Varna is among the few specialized ethnographic museums in Bulgaria. It is housed in a revival house built around 1860. It exhibits the great diversity in the culture and lifestyle of the people of the Varna region from the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The exhibition is the work of arch. Kamen Goranov, artist - Associate Professor Asen Stoychev and ethnographers Maria Nikolova and Georgi Valkov.

The museum exhibits demonstrations of the main livelihoods of the Varna Bulgarians - agriculture, animal husbandry, beekeeping, fishing, viticulture and crafts, such as cooperage, coppersmithing, furriers and tailoring.

An interesting artifact in the exhibition is a small plow "Dolmeja", which was used for plowing until the beginning of the 20th century. Harvesting with Bulgarians is usually done with a sickle and a sickle, as it is done on a threshing machine and using dikanya, yuvarlak, various types of pitchforks, shovels and winnowing nets, rakes, winnowing nets (sieves). Vessels for storing grain and those for making bread are also shown - chit, kuhel, night (wooden trough), bread shovels.

In the exhibition of the museum, there are separate corners for two typical labor customs concerning sowing and harvesting. The items related to animal husbandry - most often shepherding - are vessels for processing and storing milk (buckets and plungers, cups, spoons, scoops). The shepherd's accessories are also shown - yamurluk (upper outer garment - type "cape"), ula (leather bag), gaga (a long stick with a snake-shaped end).

Beekeeping is represented - quite an old occupation of the Bulgarians. Until the advent of modern beehives, hollow logs or cone-shaped "grasses" were used, woven from willow or vine sticks and plastered with a mixture of clay, cow dung and wood ash. A hood of straw, fern, sprigs of leaves is placed over them.

Fishing is a livelihood of primary economic importance for Bulgarians along the Black Sea. The exposition shows tools used for river fishing and for fishing in the Black Sea - a bag (a mesh bag with a pointed bottom), a blind basket, a winter (a system of blind baskets), various types of nets, metal and glass buoys for supporting the nets at water level, needles for knitting fishing nets.

Viticulture is among the oldest livelihoods of Bulgarians. On display are cutting tools for processing the vines and vessels of different sizes - apollinaire, caduceus. The wine is stored in larger or smaller barrels.

One can see exhibits such as menzis, gyums, jugs, clothes, spindles and hurkas, crickets.

On the second floor of the museum, folk costumes are displayed, which give an idea of the demographic profile of the Varna region. The clothing of the population of Varna is distinguished by its great diversity due to the complex migration processes that took place in the first decades of and at the end of the 19th century - local population and immigrants from Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia.

The library of the Ethnographic Museum has over 1,600 books and albums, as well as periodicals: "Bulgarian Ethnography", "Bulgarian Folklore", "Historical Review", "Centuries", "Art", "Problems of Culture", foreign editions in Russian, Serbian, Polish, German.
Opening Hours
Winter
October – May: 10.00 – 17.00 (Saturday and Sunday closed)
Summer
June – September: 10.00 – 17.00 (Monday closed)
Address
Varna, 22 “Panagyurishte” Str.

Or for a virtual tour:
https://www.museumvarna.com/virtual/ethnographic-museum/index.htm

information: Ethnografic museum of Varna
pictures: visitvarna.bg

04/08/2025

Recipe of the week:
Banitsa!

Banitsa (баница) is a traditional Bulgarian pastry made from layers of filo dough, eggs, and white cheese (sirene cheese similar to feta), butter and in different variations yoghurt or milk. It's one of the most beloved dishes in Bulgaria, it is always present on celebrations and usually it is eaten for breakfast or lunch.

🥣 How is made:

* **Filo dough (фини кори)** – thin pastry sheets
* **Bulgarian white cheese (sirene)** – or feta as a substitute
* **Eggs** – typically 3 to 5
* **Yogurt** – about 1 cup (adds moisture and flavor)
* **Baking soda** – ½ tsp (helps with puffiness)
* **Butter or oil** – for greasing and richness

Optional:

* Sparkling water or soda water – to make it fluffier
* Milk (sometimes used instead of yogurt)

Steps:

In a bowl, mix:

* 3–5 beaten eggs
* 1 cup crumbled white cheese (sirene or feta)
* 1 cup plain yogurt + ½ tsp baking soda
For a lighter texture you can add a splash of soda water

Oil your pan, then add 2 filo sheets, sprinkle some of the melted butter (2-3 spoons), then put some of the mixture evenly distributed everywhere, repeat this until the filo is over. Pour any remaining filling over the top.
* Optionally beat one egg and brush over the surface.
* Repeat: filo → butter/oil → filling, until you use all the dough and filling.

You can also roll each sheet into spirals instead of layering flat – this is a regional style.

Top and Bake - Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.

Bake for **35–45 minutes**, until golden brown and puffed.
Let it cool for 10–15 minutes before cutting.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with ayran, kompot, or jam.

---

photo: Yandex & Pinterest

03/08/2025

We 😍 Varna!

Good morning, Varna 💙🌅
✅ Follow I ♥ Varna

📷 Valentina Nikolova

#обичамварна #любов #море #фотография #варна

31/07/2025

Cultural tip of the week:
When in Varna, do not forget to visit the Sea Garden
The Sea garden is Varna’s largest, oldest and best known public park, also said to be the “largest landscaped park in the Balkans”.

Located on 850 decare along the seaside line, the Sea garden is an important tourist attraction and a national monument of landscape architecture. There is a sun-dial representing a flying swan at the entrance.

It’s the favourite place for recreation and fun of the citizens of Varna, old and younger. Apart from the long alleys for promenades, the sea coast with the beach and numerous nice restaurants, bars and clubs, one could also enjoy a swimming pool complex with an amazing view on the sea, and lot of children’s playing grounds. For sure, mainly when it’s sunny, it’s a real pleasure to stroll in the park, to play sports(there are tennis courts,football fields,swimming pool), to walk, to run, meditate, bike ride or just draw on the ground.There is a children's complex with a lot of amusements: water wheels, slide, archery, trampoline.

Just before the main alley of the Sea garden is situated the called “Bridge of Wishes”, a small bridge which is believed to fulfil wishes if you cross it walking backwards and with your eyes closed.

There are also a lot of things to visit: Dolphinarium,Aquarium,Natural Science museum,the Naval museum, the Copernicus astronomy complex planetarium,the Zoo,the Terrarium and much more.

Along the alley, which runs parallel to the coastline, there are a number of small cafes and restaurants, offering seafood specialties as well as attractive discos.

The sea garden is the jewel in Varna’s crown.

source: vfu.bg
picture: istock

28/07/2025

Recipe of the week:
Fried Zucchini and Aubergine with Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

A very favorite traditional way of preparing the zucchini and aubergine, during the how summer days!

Ingredients for 4 people:
3 medium zucchini
3 medium aubergine (eggplant)
Salt
Flour (for coating)
Sunflower oil (for frying)
For the yogurt-garlic sauce:
400 g Bulgarian yogurt or Greek yogurt
2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
1–2 tbsp dill, finely chopped (optional, but traditional)
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Wash the zucchini and aubergine. Slice them into thin rounds (~5 mm thick), or slices.
Place the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let them sit for 20–30 minutes to release bitterness. Then rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle both vegetables with a bit of salt and pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2: Fry the vegetables
Lightly coat each slice in flour.

Heat a generous amount of sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Fry the slices until golden brown on both sides. Remove and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Step 3: Make the yogurt sauce
In a bowl, mix the strained yogurt, garlic, and salt to taste.

Add chopped dill (optional) and a drizzle of oil for flavor.

Serving:
Serve the fried zucchini and aubergine warm or at room temperature. Top or serve with generous spoonfuls of the yogurt-garlic sauce. Can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or part of a mezze platter.

Tips:
For a lighter version, you can bake or grill the vegetables instead of frying. If you can't find Bulgarian yogurt, use Greek yogurt (full-fat preferred). Some Bulgarians add a bit of crushed walnuts on top for texture.

photo: istock

23/07/2025

Petrified Forest

The natural phenomenon “Pobiti kamani”, located to the north and south of the Beloslav Lake, represents outcrops of Eocene sands, among which are standing stone columns resembling a stone forest. The impressive landscape of the beaten stones is observed in seven large and several smaller outcrops.

The most famous is the “Center – South” group. It is located 18 km. west of the city of Varna. It includes about 300 large and small columns, up to 6 m high, rising mainly south of the old Varna-Devnia road.

Many hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the “Battered Stones”, which can be united into two main groups, the first of which advocates the inorganic origin of the columns, and the second – their organic origin.

In the first group, the claims suggest mechanical shaping of the structures through erosion processes under the action of the atmosphere and water, sea surf, weathering or infiltration of groundwater. According to proponents of organic origin, the stone columns are the remains of coral reefs, fossilized gas springs, biogenic algal assemblages, or petrified forest. It is still not possible to say with certainty which of these hypotheses most accurately reflects the occurrence of this phenomenon, but they all rule out the idea that they are the creation of man. This can clearly be seen in the Quarry-Beloslav group, where all four levels of the Beaten Stones are revealed.

The most impressive groups of Pobiti kamani (“Center-south”, “Beloslav-west”, “Sunny-southeast”), as early as 1938, were among the first protected areas in Bulgaria. Later, with several consecutive acts, a total of 14 groups with an area of 253.3 hectares were protected, and with an Order of the Minister of Environment and Water in 2002. the natural landmark has been recategorized in a protected area. “Pobiti kamani” is a protected area in the Natura 2000 network, declared for the purpose of protecting the country’s largest inland sand habitats with specific flora, vegetation and animal life.

The only evidence of human life during the Mesolithic in Bulgaria was found in the area of the broken stones.

https://www.museumvarna.com/en/museum-sites/petrified-forest/

21/07/2025

Recipe of the week:
Pepper byurek - Stuffed bell peppers with white cheese and eggs

Very traditional, very summery, very tasty! Goes great with Tarator (check last monday's recipe)

Ingredients for 4 servings:
8 - 10 roasted and peeled red peppers
4 eggs
200 g crumbled cheese
1-2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp. finely chopped dill
clove crushed garlic

Breading:
2 beaten eggs
flour
breadcrumbs
frying oil

Preparation:
* Beat the eggs lightly with a fork and pour them into a pan along with 1 tbsp. oil. Stir them over low heat until the whites begin to set. The eggs should remain semi-liquid, not hard like scrambled eggs.

* Add the cheese, parsley, dill and garlic to the eggs. Stir and add salt if necessary.

* Cut the peppers on one side and fill them with the mixture. Wrap and give them their original shape.

* Bread the peppers in flour, then in egg and finally in breadcrumbs. Arrange them on a plate and leave them for 10 minutes to dry the breading.

* Heat the oil to medium heat, it should not be very hot. Immediately before frying, dip the peppers in the beaten eggs again. Fry until golden on both sides. Serve with milk-garlic sauce if desired. Enjoy!

https://www.yoli-bg.com/

photo and recipe: Tasty with Yoli

19/07/2025

Life in Varna these days...🌞