Breakfast is for many people the most important meal of the day, and in Bulgaria is not different!
It will kick-starts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school.
And today we have chosen a selection of the tastiest and easiest to do (get) breakfast in Bulgarian cuisine.
5- Strandzhanka and Princesa
It consists of a slice of bread that’s topped with a thin layer of minced meat and spices such as savory, black pepper, and paprika. The bread is then baked in an oven or grilled.
A variation of this breakfast it’s called princesa which adds cheese on the top.
Ingredients:
- 600 g minсеd mеаt mixturе
- 1 еgg
- 1 smаll оniоn
- 6-7 piсklеs
- 1 сrushеd gаrliс сlоvе а
- fеw sprigs оf pаrslеy
- 1/2 tsp. sаvоry
- sаlt, pеppеr tо tаstе
- 1-2 hоt pеppеrs оptiоnаlly а
- fеw sliсеs оf brеаd
Mеthоd оf prеpаrаtiоn:
Put thе minсеd mеаt in а bоwl. Аdd finеly сhоppеd оniоn, pаrslеy, piсklеs, еgg аnd spiсеs. Mix еvеrything wеll.
Sprеаd thе sliсеs wіth а thiсk lаyеr оf minсеd mеаt, аrrаngе thеm in а trаy оn bаking pаpеr. Bаkе in а prеhеаtеd оvеn аt 180 dеgrееs until dоnе.
4- Mekitsi (мекици)
Mekitsa is a traditional Bulgarian dish made of kneaded dough made with yogurt that is deep-fried. When served, mekitsa is often powdered with icing sugar or garnished with jam, honey, or sirene (white cheese).
Ingredients:
- yogurt – 1 cup
- soda – 1 tsp. for bread
- eggs – 2 – 3 pieces
- salt – 1 tsp.
- flour – about 700 g
- jam – optional
- Butter or oil – for frying
- powdered sugar
Mеthоd оf prеpаrаtiоn:
Slightly warm the yogurt and mix it with the soda. Add the remaining ingredients, knead everything quickly and let stand for a while.
In order for the soft ones to become fluffy, you don’t have to mix much. Form the soft ones and fry in very hot oil. Serve with powdered sugar, or the jam of your choice.
3- Parjeni Filiiki, (Bulgarian French toast) (пържени филийки)
Is a dish made of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs and typically milk, then pan fried.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- one third teaspoon salt
- a cup of coffee full of fresh milk
- 10 medium slices of bread
How to prepare:
Find a deeper plate and a larger plate that can hold the bread slices.
Mix the four eggs well and add the milk plus a pinch of salt. Heat a frying pan with oil on the bottom of the stove and as the oil starts to heat up, start melting each slice in the prepared mixture. Sequentially put each slice in the pan and it starts to fry.
Once it is ready, put the slice in a plate covered with a paper napkin to absorb the fat from the oil.
The slices are served with jam, cheese or honey, as you like.
2- Popara with white cheese
It’s made with a glass of warm milk (or tea), 2 chopped slices of leftover bread, Bulgarian white cheese, some butter and sugar (if you want it sweet). Put everything in a bowl and you are ready to eat. I assure you it is very delicious and super easy to prepare.
1- Banitsa with white cheese
It is the quintessential Bulgarian breakfast, you can prepare it at home, or buy it near to any school or bus stop.
Ingredients for one banitsa of 8 pieces.
- 16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
- 2 cups feta cheese
- 3large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3⁄4 cup butter (melted)
- 1 cup milk
How to prepare it:
- 1. preheat oven to 350 degrees, ( glass pyrex pan works great for this recipe) brush melted butter all over the bottom and sides of baking pan.
- 2. Mix salt, cheese, and milk, and eggs in a bowl , combine and stir ingredients well.
- 3. Put down 5 sheets of phyllo dough in a buttered pan and brush over with melted butter. You can also put down one sheet at a time and butter separately.
- 4. Pour enough of the mixture to cover phyllo sheets and top with 3 more sheets.
- 5. Continue to repeat the process: put down 3 sheets and make sure to brush them well with butter then layer with the mixture until all of the mixture is done, then cover with at least 2 sheets. I prefer not to butter the top sheets as they tend to get very hard after the banitsa is done baking.
- 6. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden, make sure mixture is cooked in the middle by cutting into banitsa. When the mixture is cooked it will not be runny.
- 7. Once banitsa is done cover it with either a towel or the lid to the pan and let it sit and cool before cutting it or serving. Covering it lets the steam soften the phyllo dough sheets.
We hope you enjoy this article and would like to try some of this amazing breakfast at home!
