Tchestita Koleda Merry Christmas

In Bulgaria they place great importance on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day itself as the Bulgarians believe that Gods son was born then and they celebrate the birth with an important special dinner, consisting of twelve dishes, representing each of the twelve months of the year.
None of the dishes include any meat but there are nuts, fruit, vegetables and cakes.

It is tradition that farmers will strike the blazing Christmas log in their fireplaces to bring good health to their animals and to bring a good harvest.
Money is hidden in the ashes and these are placed in a tree to ensure a good crop.

Some Traditional Christmas Recipes

Bulgarian Tradition

In the round loaf there is a hidden coin, part of an important Christmas ritual. The eldest member of the family takes three pieces of bread and sets them aside - one piece for the Christ child, one for Mary and one for the household. He then breaks up the bread and gives a piece to everyone at the table.
The person who finds the coin in his piece is expected to have good fortune in the next year.
In some parts of the country, unmarried girls take their first piece of bread from the Christmas Eve meal and place it under their pillows, believing that they will then dream of their intended husband during the night.

ROUND LOAF

Ingredients:

1 kg flour
1 ½Tablespoon of Yeast
½ teaspoon sugar;
1 teaspoon salt;
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sift the flour twice, make a well in the centre then fill with the yeast, add a small amount of water to the yeast then add the sugar and salt then knead to make dough, place a scalded coin in the middle.
Bake in a lightly buttered dish until it turns slightly golden, then spread with sugared water and bake for ten more minutes.

STUFFED CABBAGE/VINE LEAVES

Ingredients:

10-15 pickled cabbage/vine leaves
4 onions;
Salt and pepper
1 cup rice
2 red tomatoes - fresh or tinned
1 cup of chopped parsley
2 fresh red peppers
1 carrot
1 ½ cup vegetable oil

Chop the onions, fresh peppers and carrot and add salt to taste, then brown in vegetable oil.
When onion softens add the rice, then the tomatoes (peeled and grated), pepper and chopped parsley. Mix well.

Fill the cabbage leaves and wrap them tightly, then cover the bottom of the cooking pot with sauerkraut and arrange the stuffed leaves on top.
Cover with water and stew on a low heat until the leaves soften. Lovely

BOILED WHEAT

A delicious and very important part of the traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve meal is boiled wheat, which represents the life cycle of nature.Ingredients:

2 cups of pounded (or un pounded) wheat
3 cups sugar
2 cups chopped walnuts

Remove impurities from wheat and wash. Pour cold water over it and boil until soft, then cover the pot with a twice folded towel and swell.
Drain the remaining water and mix the wheat with the sugar and walnuts.

STEWED DRIED FRUIT /OSHAV

Ingredients:

3 cups dried fruit - apricots, apples, plums and dates
3 cups granulated sugar

Wash the dried fruit well, soak in cold water and leave overnight. Boil in the same water until it becomes soft.
Add sugar or honey to taste.

All of the above dishes will be tried in my home on Christmas Eve.
Why not give it a go; I am sure you will enjoy an alternative Christmas Eve meal.

Tchestita Koleda

Merry Christmas

From all of us at Bis-Perth we hope you enjoy the holidays and festivities

BULGARIAN EVENTS

Bulgarian Entertainment

Festival of the Puppets Plovdiv Bulgaria

Plovdiv is holding its annual Festival of Puppets in September, held at several venues throughout the city.
This programme offers entertainment for all ages with great performances held daily.
You can find further details at the Plovdiv City Guide Website.

Bulgaria’s St Dimitri’s Day

St Dimitri’s Day is an annual folk festival held on the 26th of October to commemorate the coming of winter.
St Dimitri’s is the patron saint of winter frost and snow.
The Bulgarians believe that on the stroke of midnight the skies will open and the first snows will fall.
The celebration includes a traditional Bulgarian feast of Hen stuffed with cabbage, pepper and eggplant salads and many other culinary delights to temp the pallet.

Plovdiv Television Festival

The Golden Chest International Television Festival is an annual event held in various venues throughout the Bulgarian City of Plovdiv from the 29th of October to the 3rd of November.
This event is one of the most important cultural events in Bulgaria.
Screenings are shown of films and documentary series in different categories judged by an international panel of judges.
Plovdiv Television Festival is a very popular event that attracts many famous directors, actors, TV experts and producers from all over the world.
You can find further details of this event at the Bulgarian National Television Website.

Bulgarian Daily Events

The Bulgarian Spa Town of Bankya situated at the foothills of Lyulin Mountain near Sofia offers wonderful spa treatments on a daily basis.
Bankya is renowned for its healing spring water that eases cardiovascular and pulmonary aliments.
Bankya spring water is full of vitamin rich minerals and it is recommended that you bathe for no more than thirty minutes at a time. You can also use the range of sport and wellness facilities available, and then spend the rest of the day visiting the galleries, cafes and restaurants or even take a visit to the racecourse if you’re feeling lucky.


Bulgarian Property and Land from Bis-Perth

Bulgarian Cuisine

Delicious Bulgarian Cuisine

Bulgarian Cuisine is very rich in Meat and Dairy products.
You will find that some of the Bulgarian Recipes bear a strong resemblance to Greek and Turkish dishes like Moussaka and Baklava.

Bulgaria is famed for their yoghurts and cheese.

Their cheese is absolutely delicious made from either cow, goats or buffalo milk, each with their own distinct flavour.
The one thing you have to try when visiting Bulgaria is the goat’s milk ice cream, mmmm gorgeous.
Below I have included some of the best known Bulgarian Recipes and some side dishes that I use to go with these delicious recipes.

More Bulgarian Recipes

These recipes are lovely accompanied by a Beautiful bottle of Bulgarian wine which is very inexpensive but excellent quality.

VEAL SOUP

Ingredients

700g veal knuckle or breast, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1/2 a celery, 2 potatoes, 2tomatoes, 50g butter, parsley, pepper, horse-radish, vinegar, Salt.

Cut the meat into pieces, place in cold water and bring to the boil, Salt and simmer together with the chopped carrots, onion, celery and parsley. When tender, add the potatoes, and after 20min add the finely sliced tomatoes add the butter when nearly ready. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and pepper. Add the vinegar and salt to the horse radish and add to the soup according to taste.

SHOPSKA SALAD

Ingredients for 4:

4 spring onions, 4 medium size tomatoes, half a cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, olives (optional)chopped parsley, feta cheese salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil.

Chop all ingredients in slices or cubes, season with salt, pepper, add the chopped parsley, 1 tbls of vinegar and 2 tbls of olive oil, mix well add the feta cheese.
TIPS: Serve with homemade crusty bread.

MISH-MASH (There are many different varieties of this dish)

Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes, 3 red peppers, 1 onion, 2-3 tbls oil, 200 g of feta cheese, 3 eggs, chopped parsley salt and pepper to taste.

Chop all the ingredients into small pieces, heat the oil and add the onions, then the peppers and tomatoes, cook for about 3-5 minutes then add the cheese, eggs and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
TIPS: Can be eaten with toast or as I like, sliced garlic potatoes.

GARLIC POTATOES: (My Recipe)

Slice potatoes and par boil for about 10 mins or until slightly tender, place on a baking sheet, crush about 4-5 garlic cloves depending on taste and mix with olive oil, drizzle over the potatoes and season to taste, pop in a preheated oven 190C for about 10-15 mins.
TIPS: For a bit of a kick I like to use chilli oil and a few chopped chillies.

PORK KAVARMA (A traditional Bulgarian dish)

Ingredients

3/4 kg tender loin of pork, 2tbls oil (chilli infused olive oil is nice), 4-5 leeks (finely chopped), 1 tbls tomato paste, 1 tsp paprika, 1tsp black pepper, 1/3 of a cup of red wine, 1 onion, 1 tsp parsley, 1 small chilli.

Chop the meat and brown it in the oil.

Take it out of the pan and leave. In the same oil, fry leeks add salt, tomato paste, paprika and pepper. Pour in 1/2 a cup of water and add the wine and then the meat.Let it stew on a low heat until the juice has thickened. Sprinkle with chopped onions, parsley and the chopped and deseeded chilli.
TIPS: Serve with boiled new potatoes, rice, homemade bread or my favourite is garlic mushrooms.

GARLIC MUSHROOMS (My recipe)

Ingredients

4 tbls of Olive Oil, 2 Finely Chopped Cloves of Garlic, 1 lb (450g) Thinly Sliced Mushrooms, 2oz (55g) Pine Nuts, 4 tbls of Dry Sherry, 1 Lemon, Salt, Ground Black Pepper, 1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Parsley

Sauté the chopped garlic add the sliced mushrooms, the pine nuts and sherry.

Cook for 3 to 5 mins, add the juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt, Ground black pepper then add the parsley.

If you try any of these recipes let us know how you got on or if you have a favourite of your own send it in and we will publish it on our site for other viewers to try.

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