Banitsa Recipe (Traditional Bulgarian Food) - Happy Foods Tube (2024)

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What is Bulgaria's traditional food? ›

Traditional Bulgarian foods

Börek – a filled pastry made with layers of filo dough. Tutmanik – similar to pita, made with yeast dough and milk, but with white cheese. Popara – might be made from rusks, bread, or kozunak with tea, milk, or sour milk (Bulgarian yogurt).

Banitsa is prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs, plain yogurt, and pieces of white brined cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven. Traditionally in Bulgaria, lucky charms are put into the pastry on certain occasions, particularly on New Year's Eve.

How to make banitsa. Mix crumbled Feta cheese, with yogurt, eggs and baking soda. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on your worktop, spoon some of the filling over (you can spread it slightly) and roll. This is then rolled into a snail like shape and placed in a greased oven-proof dish.

Photo: We have 4 different types of banitsa (typical Bulgarian pastry): - with cheese; - with lentils; - with spinach and cheese; - with ham.

Meshana Skara (Mixed Grill)

The Meshana Skara is the holy grail of Bulgarian food, especially if you love meat. The mixed grill includes the classic kebapche, and other meats like kyufte (meatballs much like the Indian kofta) and skewers of pork meat and a pork steak.

Stuffed peppers

One of the most traditional dishes in the Bulgarian cuisine, you will find different variations of it in the different regions of the country. The peppers could be stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, rice and vegetables or with cheese and eggs and be served with yoghurt, béchamel or tomato sauce.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cover with paper towels and a towel at least 10 minutes before slicing. Banitsa is best served warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

The banitsa is cut up into pieces and each member of the household gets a lucky charm for the coming year. Once, women used cornel twigs with different numbers of buds, each signifying different kinds of “luck”, and tucked them in between the pastry sheets.

To obtain your bonafide certificate, you need to submit a written request to the head of your school or institution. Along with the request, you should include an identity proof document, such as a school ID card or a fee receipt. Why is a bonafide certificate necessary for students?

How many calories are in banitsa? ›

160 grams of bulgarian banitsa contains 382 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 32% carbs, 51% fat, and 17% protein. This is a good source of protein (29% of your Daily Value), calcium (26% of your Daily Value), and vitamin a (13% of your Daily Value).

Nixtamalizing dried corn kernels is quite easy to do at home. You measure the corn, calcium hydroxide, and water; boil; let it sit; then drain and rinse the corn. This corn, now called nixtamal, is good to go for grinding into a paste/dough or “masa” for tortillas or tamales, or for using whole in stews like posole.

Banitsa (phyllo pastry with different fillings, the most popular one being white feta cheese) is known in different countries under different names: burek, tyropita, bugatsa, etc (Fig. 1).

Bulgarians call their Bulgarian-style Feta 'Sirene', which means simply 'a cheese', it is still correct, in English, to call it 'Bulgarian Feta' even though it is a different subtype of Feta than the Greek one. The cheese has several different variations, depending on the milk used.

But the traditional Bulgarian breakfast is: Banitsa with yogurt. Mekitsi (fried dough) with cheese or jam. Older people also have breakfast with popara - crushed older bread, cheese and butter and mixed with hot water.

Bulgaria is Famous for its Roses

This is because rose oil is Bulgaria's biggest export and a vital part of the country's economy. The unique species of rose called Rosa Damascena grows well across much of the country, but it grows particularly well in The Rose Valley — an area south of the Balkan Mountains.

Rakija - the national drink of Bulgaria. Rakia is a traditional Bulgarian fruit brandy. Almost no Sunday meal in Bulgaria goes by without the tasty Rakia rounding off the meal. Tourists know the rakia served by local restaurants and kitchens all too well.

Bulgarian breakfasts can range from simple bread and various sandwiches to more traditional fare that includes grandmother's recipes like mekici (fried dough), banici (Bulgarian cheese filled pastry), tutmanitsi (a kind of bread), popara (bread with cheese and butter), and other delightful snacks.