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

FAQs

What is banitsa made of? ›

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.

Main courses are very typically water-based stews, either vegetarian or with lamb, goat meat, veal, chicken, or pork. Deep-frying is not common, but grilling—especially of different kinds of sausages—is prominent. Pork is common, often mixed with veal or lamb, although fish and chicken are also widely used.

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.

What is the best traditional meal of Bulgaria? Many are on the list – shopska salata for sure, meatballs, sarmi, grilled peppers, musaka, and so on. But the award for the most traditional and Bulgarian meal should go to banitsa and ayran. Banitsa is a pastry filled with cheese, eggs, yoghurt, all mixed.

Banitsa Is A Specific Regional Specialty

It's nearly always crafted into a spiral, as opposed to burek's varied shape. And with Bulgaria's disposition toward dairy -- as evidenced by their unique yogurt -- the cheese is a defining characteristic. Plus, Bulgarians associate the dish with specific holiday customs.

Banitsa's origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, where it was known as "borek." The dish made its way to Bulgaria in the 15th century and quickly became a favorite among the locals. Over time, the recipe for Banitsa evolved, with each region in Bulgaria adding its unique twist to the dish.

Tarator, a scrummy cold soup is among the Bulgarians favourite foods, especially for the summer months. It is generally served as a first course however, it can also be served as a side dish to a main meal. It is commonly made with fresh cucumbers, walnuts, garlic, Bulgarian yoghurt, dill, herbs and vinegar or lemon.

Widespread morning meal in Bulgaria is “Popara”. Bulgarian kids love it! It's made with a glass of warm milk (or tea), 2 chopped slices of bread, Bulgarian white cheese, some butter and sugar if you want it sweet. Put everything in a bowl and you are ready to eat.

Banitsa is best served warm. Refrigerate leftovers. You can reheat it in a microwave for a minute or two or in a regular oven for 10 minutes at 350°F. Bulgarians often eat banitsa for breakfast with yogurt.

It is rumored that it came along with Slavic tribes more than 1000 years ago. Though there is no real evidence, research (and logic) suggests that banitsa was a part of the Bulgarians cuisine for centuries because it was made on every major holiday.

Do Bulgarians eat yogurt? ›

Yoghurt. Bulgarian yoghurt is a traditional Bulgarian dairy food, a hallmark of the country, produced by microbial lactic acid fermentation of pasteurized milk, inoculated with a starter culture of only two lactic acid bacterial species—Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.

Bulgarian cuisine is fresh, relatively simple, tasty, and hearty. It is a mix of Greek, Balkan, and Turkish-influenced cuisine, although Bulgarian cuisine has a special flavour that sets it apart. Recipes include a large variety of vegetables and spices and grilled meat, cheese, yoghurt, and fresh fruits.

Bulgarian yoghurt is a traditional Bulgarian dairy food, a hallmark of the country, produced by microbial lactic acid fermentation of pasteurized milk, inoculated with a starter culture of only two lactic acid bacterial species—Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus) and Streptococcus thermophilus.

Pies with a vegetable filling, such as zelnik, are especially popular. Zelnik can be made with a filling of leafy greens like spinach, nettles, marigold, parsley, and cabbage, praznik is made with leeks, while luchnik is a type of banitsa filled with onions.

The cheese must be made from sheep milk with a maximum of 30% goat milk optionally added. The cheese tends to develop a strong flavor (piquant) from natural lipase additions and becomes very brittle and crumbly on aging.

The delicious Bulgarian cheese ranges from yellow (Kashkaval) sheep's milk cheese that is either spicy or mild to salty (Prinza) cheese, which is similar to feta cheese and is great when layered on salads or melted in sandwiches. However, feta cheese (Serene), is preferred by many over the French or Greek feta.