  Food and Drinks
One of the best things about Bulgaria is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the delicious, varied cuisine. There are many traditional Bulgarian dishes that have an unmistakable Greek or Turkish influence. For breakfast especially in the mountain areas you can indulge in pancakes with fresh fruit berries and delicious syrup. One of the most popular Bulgarian breakfast is Banitsa – a hot baked cheese pastry. Bulgaria is also famous for its yogurt and honey. For lunch, Bulgarians love their salads, and most restaurants offer more than a dozen options to choose from. A Shopska salad is typical of the more traditional fare, which includes chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese and olives. For dinner, Kavarma is a traditional dish of meat and vegetables roasted in a earthenware dish with lots of garlic, onions, tomatoes, oil and spices. Popular dishes include kebabche (grilled, spicy meat sausages) and kyufte – sausages that are flattened and curled round in a circle. Bulgarian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of dairy products and the variety of wines and local alcoholic drinks such as rakia, mastika and menta. It features also a variety of hot and cold soups, an example of a cold soup being tarator. Certain entries, salads, soups and dishes go well with alcoholic beverages and the alcohol of choice for some is Bulgarian wine.
Here are some of the most famous Bulgarian foods and drinks:
Foods
 Shkembe chorba
Shkembe chorba is a kind of tripe soup, prepared in Bulgaria. Tripe is the thick lining of the stomach of cattle, and some Bulgarians shun the soup as cheap, vulgar, unappetizing, or inferior, whereas others see it as a national treat. According to popular belief and based on anecdotal evidence, shkembe chorba alleviates hangovers if consumed in the morning. Shkembe chorba is bound with milk and usually served with garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers as seasoning. Different versions of the soup are quite common in the eating places all over the Balkans.
 Shopska salad
Shopska salad or Shop salad is popular in Bulgaria, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia and the Czech Republic. It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onion, and a type of brined cheese which is very similar to feta cheese and is called sirene in Bulgarian, and is often consumed as an appetizer with Rakia. Its name comes from Shopi, the name for the people, originating from the region of Sofia.
 Sarmi
It is traditionally prepared in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, and in some other geographically and traditionally close countries. Sarma means "wrapping" or "rolling" in Turkish, and is similar to its cousin dolma. The popular Russian version is called "голубцы" (golubtsy), and is usually made of cabbage leaves.
Banitsa (pastry)Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian pastry prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs and pieces of sirene (white cheese) between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven. Macedonians refer to it as Zelnik, Maznik, or a more loosely as Pita.
Traditionally, lucky charms are put into the pastry on certain occasions, particularly on Christmas Eve, the first day of Christmas, or New Year's Eve. Charms may be coins and/or one or more small symbolic objects (e.g., a small piece of a dogwood branch with a bud symbolizing health or longevity). More recently, people have started writing happy wishes on small pieces of paper and wrapping them in tin foil. Wishes may include happiness, health, or success throughout the new year.
 Elenski but
Elenski but, sometimes translated as (Elena round or Elena leg) is a dry-cured ham from the town of Elena in northern Bulgaria and a popular delicacy throughout the country. The meat has a specific taste and can be preserved in the course of several years, owing much to the special process of making and the climatic conditions of the part of Stara Planina where Elena is located. In many of the small towns around Elena, the rounds were in the past left in conservation in the rooms where the daily housefire was lit, so that a certain amount of smoking could be achieved in order to add some nippy flavour.
Drinks
 Bulgarian Wine
Grape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the country.
Officially Bulgaria is divided into five distinct viticultural regions: Danubian Plain (North Bulgarian), Black Sea (East Bulgarian), Rose Valley (Sub-Balkan), Thracian Lowland (South Bulgarian), Struma River Valley (Southwest Bulgarian).
Rakia
Rakia or rakija is hard liquor similar to brandy and vodka, made by distillation of fermented fruits, popular throughout the Balkans. Its alcohol content is normally 40%, but home-produced rakia can be stronger, typically 50 to 60%. Prepečenica is double-distilled rakia, with alcohol content sometimes exceeding 60%. Skorosmrtnica (literally "fast death") is a popular name for cheap low-quality rakia. Rakia is considered to be the national drink among some of the South Slavic peoples: in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. Its most common form, slivovitz, is produced from plums. Other commonly-used fruits are grapes (the most common in Bulgaria, Montenegro and Macedonia), peaches, apricots, apples, figs, and quinces. Plum and grape rakia is sometimes mixed after distillation with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts.
 Beer
The Zagorka brand, produced by a brewery of the same name, is one of the most popular brands of lager in Bulgaria. Named after the city of Stara Zagora, Zagorka is a full bodied mildly hopped Pilsener with 10% alcohol by volume. In 2005, a 1.5-liter plastic bottle of Zagorka could be purchased for about €1 throughout much of Sofia. In the mid-1990s, Zagorka Brewery became a fully-owned subsidiary of Dutch brewing giant Heineken. The Zagorka Brewery also produces the Ariana, Stolichno, Heineken, Amstel and Murphy's brands. Zagorka's main competitor for sales on the local market is InBev-owned Kamenitza.
Ayrian
Ayrian or tan is a drink made of yoghurt and water, popular in Turkey, Armenia, Bulgaria, and other parts of the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Ayrian is a mixture of yoghurt, water, and salt. It is thought to have originated as a way of preserving yogurt by adding salt. It is often made with cucumber juice in place of some or all of the water, or flavored with garlic, and is sometimes also seasoned with black pepper, although this is uncommon in Bulgaria, where ayrian is also often served without salt. Ayran is served cool, and is a common accompaniment to döner, kebab, banitsa, or pastry. Some forms of fresh ayran include some foam. Another recipe popular in some regions includes finely chopped mint leaves mixed into the ayrian.
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