Check out the list below for some must-try Bulgarian dishes and drinks!

Breakfast foods:

• Banitsa – a traditional pastry made of thin filo dough layers filled with whisked eggs and white cheese, then baked to a golden crust

• Mekitsa – deep-fried dough, often served with powdered sugar, jam, honey or cheese

• Panagyurski eggs (Panagyurishte-style eggs) – poached eggs served over yogurt with garlic, topped with melted butter and paprika

• Kiselo mlyako – Bulgarian yogurt, known for its probiotic properties

Starters:

• Shopska salad – a refreshing salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and white cheese, dressed with oil and vinegar

• Lyutenitsa – a thick vegetable spread made from roasted red peppers, tomatoes and sometimes carrots and eggplant

• Kyopolou – a spread made from roasted eggplant, peppers, garlic and tomatoes

• Katak – a creamy dip made from strained yogurt and white cheese, often served with roasted peppers, cucumbers and garlic

• Sirene – a white brined cheese, similar to feta, used in many Bulgarian dishes

• Kashkaval – a yellow, semi-hard cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk, commonly used in cooking or as a table cheese

• Lukanka – a semi-dry, cured sausage made from spiced ground pork and beef, with a distinctive flattened shape

Soups:

• Tarator (cold yogurt soup) – a chilled soup made with yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, dill and sometimes walnuts, often eaten in the summer

• Shkembe chorba (tripe soup) – a rich soup made from beef or pork tripe, flavoured with garlic, paprika and vinegar

• Bob chorba – a hearty bean soup, often cooked with vegetables and sometimes meat

Main dishes:

• Gyuvetch – a slow-cooked stew with meat, vegetables and spices, traditionally baked in an earthenware pot

• Kebapche and kyufte – grilled minced meat dishes, often served as part of meshana skara (mixed grill); kebapche is elongated like a sausage, while kyufte is round

• Sarmi – stuffed vine leaves (lozovi sarmi) or cabbage leaves (zelevi sarmi) filled with rice and sometimes minced meat

• Moussaka – a baked casserole of potatoes, minced meat and eggs, often topped with yogurt

• Palneni chushki (roasted stuffed peppers) – roasted bell peppers stuffed with a mixture of rice and minced meat; there is also a variation where the peppers are stuffed with a mixture of eggs and white cheese instead of meat

Drinks:

• Boza – a thick, mildly fermented wheat drink with a slightly sweet and tangy taste

• Ayran – a refreshing yogurt-based drink mixed with water and salt

• Rakia – a strong fruit brandy, usually made from grapes, plums or apricots

• Mastika – a strong, anise-flavoured liqueur, often served cold

• Menta – a sweet, mint-flavoured liqueur