I don't know if someone mentioned these, but will share them ☀️ 1.Billa is overall a very expensive supermarket, so some of the items, like the shampoo, the meats are very overpriced. It's not the great option for shopping. 2. The vegetables and the fruits from the supermarkets are actually not so good, if you want tasty produce, you can go the farmer markets, there you can find fresh vegetables and fruits strait from the producer. 3. The kompots are best if they are home made. 4. The meat you were talking about is called "pastet", the one you squeeze and when we were little it was very popular breakfast option👌 5. The yogurts it's best to take one from the middle price range, as the cheaper ones are not really good. 6. I saw someone mentioning it, but yes, don't buy the cooked food from Billa 😂 maybe like a last option if you cannot find something to eat, but otherwise no 😂😂 Hope you enjoyed Bulgaria 🇧🇬 ❤!
Great! Some things I'm gonna add: 1• Billa isn't the cheapest, but it's in the "ehh..." price range, where it's okay but you are better of going somewhere cheaper. The problem is, they seem to have found a Billa in a mall (Billa's are usually outside solo, not in a mall) which certainly increases the price ...in Sofia - where everything will be overpriced. 2• They have come to Bulgaria to get a taste of our nation, then come to our nation and have a taste of it properly. The best fruit and vegetables, especially tomatoes, are homegrown in the villages. Go to local small farmer markets for best produce. Bulgaria has very tasty natural produce, you just have to look in the right place. I'm not sure if other parts of Bulgaria have this, but in our town we have what is called a "co-operative", basically a large farmer market, slightly closed to protect from shade. 3• Kompots are a "baba's food", they are usually homemade, and best when that is done. Tbh, I've always gotten kompots from relatives and friends in villages, rarely from supermarkets. And skipping to 6• Yeah, why'd you buy cooked food from Billa (or a supermarket in gen). Tbf, it depends on the food and on the Billa, but if you want cooked food do it yourself, or have it from a local bakery/store/zavedenie.
A piece of advice - do not buy the cheapest sausages, cheese or milk from the shelf. Target at least the middle or better - high range. The cheaper will not poison you, but they contain substitute ingredients that decrease the food quality. E.g. cheap cheese contains palm oil, instead of natural fat (butter). Cheap yogourts contain cream instead of milk and a second grade culture, not the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. Cheap lyutenitsa (the peper-tomato-eggplant paste) contains potatoes instead of part of the peppers. Cheap sausages contain soy and other animal substitutes, instead of real meat. Cheap beer contains spiritus instead of naturally fermented culture. Cheap wine contains water and more sugar that naturally fermented grapes. The list may continue, but I believe you got the idea.
@@zjarr6279 Unfortunately, this is the case everywhere. I am happy Bulgarians re-discovered good food and more and more producers offer high quality at... well... high prices. But at least you know what you eat and it is more delicious.
@@ki5739 Yeah but he ought to know better, seeing different view points through traveling. BTW who cares about super markets in foreign countries, it's like a show about America inside other countries.
@@tj5308 There is not a simple answer of this question. If you buy food from the countryside from a small producers or home-made - It's guaranteed it's of good quality. If it's from small towns - 90% as well. If it's from the big supermarkets in the big cities - there are goods for any taste. From junk food to super quality. It depends on the taste and the prices :) Although I think, my statement is not valid only for Bulgaria.
8:53 Yes, like in Poland in Bulgaria is called also Kompot, but the fruit is not fermented (spirit), but boiled with added sugar . This preserves all nutrients to be ready for use during harsh winters back in the day.
Also in German we have a word Kompott. BTW big tomatoes. Here in Germany we think those big and meaty ones are genetically modified which never rot. I'm not criticising GM food since it can help poor countries to stop famine. GM food is normally cheaper than organic food and is resistant to droughts and insects and more and more.
@@niceberliner, GMO is a total B.S. and it cannot feed the poorer countries; less greed from western corporations is what will help them. And the big tommatoes here are some local hybrid sorts, not GMO, and if they are grown locally, theese are the best-best tomatoes :) The same is with the twisted cucumbers, that EU used so much not to like till recently 😁
I found the prices expensive. For example here in Portugal our minimum wage is more than double that of Bulgaria and the prices of products are very similar! I keep thinking that it won't be easy for a person, who lives in Bulgaria and earns the minimum wage, to buy the essential products!
Double the minimum wage, and similar cost of groceries? Wow, Portugal is doing great! Actually, Portugal is one of Ivana and my bucket list destination. Hopefully we can make it there someday :)
@@JetLagWarriors The problem now in Portugal is the very inflated rental prices. to pay for a small apartment and if you are lucky to find it (because they are rare) you spend more than half of your minimum wage.
@@JetLagWarriors But I think you are right to want to visit Portugal because it is an incredible country that has everything. good food (the best you will ever find), beautiful nature, cultural heritage and a lot of history, and fantastic people! I bet you would easily put it at the top of your list of countries to live in.
The wage in Portugal is never more than double! Portugal 1600, Bulgaria 1000. See here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage
@@yogiaolShe's actually right. The minimum wage in Bulgaria is 780 lev (€399) per month, while in Portugal it is €886 per month, which is more than twice higher.
Hello guys 😊❤, Welcome to Sofia-Bulgaria!🤗 I work as a cashier in Billa-Bulgaria! The Sausage in yellow packaging (product made especially for Billa) at 2.22min. is boiled-sausage, You confused it with pate!😘
I love how positive you are even when you see unfamiliar products (canned meat). For the 2L beer its quite common to get it for a party, drink it as a starter (a bottle per 2-3 people) and then continue with something stronger. And for the banana juice, I've never looked for it outside of Bulgaria but here it's as common as any other haha you should definitely try it
This a newer tradition, though we did have pretty good 'nectars' in the past, always made from the same natural products you can see here even now. Later, our newly established private producers, unlike most of the rest branches, did continue the tradition and started importing cheap but good quality concentrates of all possible fruits :) and now all the brands have mostly these 100% juices, w/ only water added.
Another tip, Billa is notorious with the cooked food stall, avoid it. In most cases, it is tasteless or completely inedible. I recommend Fantastico's cooked food stall. Also at Kaufland, but there they are located after the cashiers before the exit of the building itself, in most cases there are also other shops.
Personal experience - I have never bought cold cuts or discounted meat from Billa that were good to consume. All expired, rotten, mouldy etc. I also refuse to buy anything from the ready made food stall, it always smells like bad meat there... Billa is basically the worst supermarket for me. I'd much rather go to Kaufland or Fantastico, even Lidl is better. I go to Billa if I absolutely have no other choice, and only buy packaged stuff/ veg. Their veg is good.
I live in the UK but go to Bulgaria for my summer holiday.Dare say food in Bulgaria is more expensive and Billa particularly is one of the most expensive stores in Bulgaria
No your Just getting scamed Come to city like sofia/plovdiv/stara zagora Dont go to the beaches thinking it Will be cheap not single country in the world have cheap beaches burgas varna is expensive bcs its tourist destinetion and most westerners go there and when U exchange money they are double the Lev
Prices in Bulgaria seem to have gone up even higher than in Romania last year... From what I saw in the video everything is way more expensive compared to 2021. Inflation FTW :( Shumensko (the red labeld one) is an OK popular beer, but I would advice against 2l PET. Bottled or canned is always better, albeit more expensive. As for the name, I beleive it comes from the city of Shumen, the same way as the Romanian beer Timisoreana means literally "from Timisoara" :) Just as a quick refference, the few Bulgarian words I know are from my childhood as a Romanian watching Bulgarian TV (Leka noch detza?!). Seems Jivkov had better taste in TV than Ceausescu :))
You watched Leka nosht detza / Good night, children/? I didn't know it was possible in Romania. We were in front of the televisions at exactly 7:50 p.m., because there weren't many children's programs at that time. And maybe it was for good.
It is more than certain that the four major retail chains in Bulgaria have a cartel agreement. This is how it works with elections every 5 months and lack of functioning institutions.
The salami "Kamchia" is not made to be squized. You just slice it. The one that can be squized actually is a Pate but in the same shape as the Salam "Kamchia"
Meat in a jar is very tasty. In the past, people didn't have refrigerators and kept food that way. It can be eaten straight from the jar, it can be cooked with rice or potatoes. Fast and tasty.
@@JetLagWarriors I concur with @skokondrela77. The jar meat is super tasty and ready for consumption. The only con is that it's far more expensive than buying and cooking on your own raw meat. But it saves you time.
@@JetLagWarriors Oh, haven't read all of the comments, but I explained it to the newest one: This came from an old Bulgarian tradition to prepare the winters in Bulgaria (which are not that severe lately, as they were in the past). But, the meat in jars has a special technology and could last for years (if properly kept). You can always use it to eat it simply if you're a late customer or put in a dish at the end of cooking (it's cooked well) :)
The "Meat tube" isn't actually a spread. It's like ham, you have to slice it. The one Kamchia is the best, you should try it with cheese on toast and a slice of tomato.
It's a (a low end l, but very tastefull) sausage, not ham. And even though the real "Kàmtchia" must be made with added garlic, the one of Billa is good... not like most of their brand labeled foods :)
Your comment on the fruits&veggies great taste made my day... every Bulgarian will tell you exactly the opposite, thus valid for fresh produce sold in the nation's supermarkets chains... FYI, if you wanna taste a true tasty ones, first and foremost buy only seasonal, and if so, try to get it form the public market (farmers)... look for an elderly sellers (higher chance for a farmer's own produce). Best Tip: Drive to the nearest village and ask the locals if you can buy some cherries, strawberries, yogurt, cheese , and so on... As far, as the jarred meat... Boy, you must try it 150%, take the little pork one give it a try... I betcha u gonna love this shT. It's an old school method of preserving food, the meat is properly seasoned with herbs and tenderly soft, it melts in the mouth like butter. Enjoy it
Kashkavàl (yellow cheese) and white cheese - marked with БДС (BDS, the Bulgarian State Standard, which unfortunately is no longer obligatory for production of anything) and some cheeses made the Rhodopi (Родопи) Mountain region, and you don't have to go to a village to buy and taste a good one, especially if you're a foreigner on the road :)
The meat tube you are holding is not pashtet, pashtet you can squeeze. That is called kolbas and it is like a sausage similar to baloney, you cut it into slices and put in a sandwich.
Yogurt is invented in BG and grow only in BG. Lactos Bacilicus Bulgaricus is the bacteria that makes fresh milk into yogurt. This bacteria is imported even in Japan by Meiji company and all is labeled as Bulgarian yogurt.
Bulgaria has the best Yoghurt, but the one you will buy from the supermarket are generally not that good - they are mass produced industrial foods. The real yoghurt is in the small shops of the small dairies. It is amazing what difference the taste makes. The Bulgarian version of ayvar includes tomatoes as well and it is called Liutenitsa (Liu - ten - itza)
Yes, and no, thera are some brands that still produce nace quality yogurt, incl. (domestic) buffalo, goat and sheep yogurt and cheese, but to be sure, a foreigner should look for the БДС sinlgn on the packages.
Първото с което започна клипа и ме порази. Възхитени са от доматите и като цяло зеленчуците в супермаркета. А по мое мнение като потребител, в този сезон, това което се продава е пластмасов безвкусен боклук. Що за зеленчуци ядат тези хора в техните държави?!
Не питай. Нищо няма вкус, наистина. И се продават само пластмасови неща, другите ги хвърлят, защото клиентите не купуват нещо “грозно”. В България ние знаем, че грозният домат е най-вкусен 😅
The "meat" where you said it is meat spread, actually was wrong. This was a cheap ham. But yes what you are saying exists, it is just similar tube, but not that one.
Ajvar and lyutenitsa are different things, guys, just look the same. Lutenitsa is made with tomatoes while Ajvar does not use any tomatoes. Viva Lyutenitsa!
The real bulgarian Liutenitsa always have carrot in it. I think you must taste bulgarian kiopoolu, it is authentic bulgarian product - eat it with bulgarian white cheese.
Ottomans did not have tea back then. The tea culture in Turkey is only 100 years old. Ottomans brought coffee to Europe and tea came to Turkey only 100 years ago from the Soviet Georgia. The government was looking for a crop to grow in the black sea region and apparently, the answer was tea. It became extremely popular since then. It's just black tea but Turkish people drink a lot of it. Ottomans left a lot of coffee near Vienna when they tried to take over the city. Coffee and the coffee house culture spread to Europe from the Ottoman Empire but they didn't have much tea. Tea is a new drink in Turkey compared to coffee.
Bulgaria does have the best Ajvar, u can find it in some supermarkets in Romania, I even prefer it to our similar thing called Zacusca, which is also great. We also both love yogurt and cheese, especially salted white cheese. Lol the 2L beer bottles are a staple of the region, the beer is terrible and in plastic even worse but still beer so people who need to save up buy it
Good video. Very interesting to see how grocery stores are in other countries. Maybe it’s a good thing junk food is a bit pricey there, people stick to the healthy stuff. In North America we are used to cheap junk food and unfortunately consume it as meal replacement 😮
You are very much right, the junk food here in Bulgaria is not so cheap compared to some pretty good stuff if you know what, when and where to buy, and if you... eat a healthy bit of less food :)
"North America we are used to cheap junk food" Not anymore! In Sacramento, CA a 12 oz (340 gm) bag of Lay's Potato Chips is $4.98 or 9.10 Lev, prices have risen shockingly in the US also.
Great video fellas! It was fun watching you go through the store. Cosmetics which are imported are generally more expensive that's why the price of shampoo surprised you. Lyutenitsa and Ayvar look similar, but they are different products. Lyutenitsa has more ingredients and everyone I know prefers it to ayvar. P.S. Steve you really need to up your game mate! The average Bulgarian takes 10 minutes to finish them 2 littre bottles.
Yep, there are many cosmetic products by Bulgarian companies at a world-class level and they are cheaper ;) Imported cosmetic products are expensive, as they don't sell much in Bulgaria ;)
Just a tip, even if it is a plastic bottle, most people don't drink straight out of plastic bottles bigger than 500ml, meaning anything u see for drinking in a plastic bottle bigger than 500ml, it is smth that is usually poured into a glass, but before that has been cooled down in the fridge, never drink warm beer or any sort of beverage, lmao
Hello friends and welcome to Bulgaria :) All white cheese is Bulgarian white cheese. The Bulgarian flag on the label is because this product is made in a traditional Bulgarian way and meets the standards - it is a kind of quality standard.
Типично по български не спряхте да се оплаквате. Вече е скъпо на всякъде. Аз благодаря за клипчето , абсолютно реално показва всичко. Беше полезно за мои близки от чужбина, които се интересуваха за всичко това. Благодаря!!!🌸
I live in BG and you are pretty much spot on with your summary. Try the sheeps yoghurt its extra creamy, I also drink the Nova Brasilia pretty good quality/price. I find eggs here are much better than UK. I also eat trout (pesturva) at least every week its super quality in BG
For the yogurt you are right, and we have also buffalo, goat, like cow and sheep yougurt, cheese... BUT! No way a good-coffee drinker can call "Nova Brazila" anything near to a good coffee 🤮 Unfortunately all the other imported brands, incl. the 'high-end' italian ones suck. I buy only from local stores and make my own mix. It and the portuguese coffee, I sometimes can get directly from there, are the only coffees I can drink. It's not some pose, it's a fact - the others taste like sheet :)
@@cami0076 haha true, but I upgrade to Lavazza if its in the coffee vending machines which for people who do not know coffee machines are everywhere in BG and very very cheap, in my area its still 50 stotinki, £0.23 or around 25 euro cents, a bit more for Lavazza if available. Hope this is a step up from Nova Brasilia.
I kind of forgot they were no longer in Turkey. When I heard Ivana talking about pork in the deli section, I was like "What? Isn't Turkey a Muslim country? Do they have pork products there?" 😅, then I realized they are in Bulgaria now
Billa is an Austrian supermarket brand and not the cheapest. Their prepared food you saw is not the tastiest. I would never eat a shopska salad in Billa. It is 1 million times better in most proper restaurants especially the smaller ones or the Happy chain. For the real veggies and fruits always go the smaller shops. Btw, our local and biggest chain is called Fantastiko with a Ф red logo. Nice video, though.
Fantastiko is the shittiest big chain in Bulgaria, though. It has the worst cooked food and abnormally high prices. Kaufland and Lidl beat Fantastiko on every parameter. Even Billa beats it.
@@ivanpetrov5185I totally disagree as a person who is living abroad. Even though it is a bit pricy, Fantastico has wider range of brands/products and better quality of the products overall. Especially, healthy or vegan options. When it comes to the prepared food I would definitely recommend Fantastico over Billa by far, I can assume that the quality can vary depending on the location but I have never tried something tasty from Billa’s prepared food.
@@ivelinaivanova8908 First of all, can we agree that Fantastico has the MOST EXPENSIVE prices in all chains in Bulgaria? Secondly, Fantastico's cooked food is real shit. The fact that Billa's cooked food is shit too does not make Fantastico better.
2:15 We have pate in such tubes, but that one is not a pate, it won't squeeze out, it's a compact processed meat, you have to peel it off and slice it, like it shown on the picture.
When I was in Bulgaria in 2020 (before covid) the prices were way lower. Now they shot up close to a 100% like that packaged sliced bread used to be aroud 0.90 leva and now it's 1.66 ... just wow
A few clarifications here 1) The "sausages" in the begining are mostly types of salami 2) the "tubular meat" that he squeezes is actually a type of ham, it's not a spread (paté) although some patés do come packaged this way, so I get the confusion. 3) Don't buy meals from the "ready section" in Billa, most of the time they are pretty bad. 4) The pepper and tomato spread they are looking at is not ajvar it is lyutenitza. Although they are similar lyutenitza is more of a spread, where as ajvar is more like a salad and has more ingredients. You can find both in most supermarkets in Bulgaria but people usually prefer lyutenitza. 5) the large bottles of beer are usually bought for large gatherings. You are meant to buy the bottle put it in the fridge and cool it, then drink all of it in one sitting (by yourself or with others) so that it doesn't loose it's fizines and taste.
8:15 That is one of the most expensive products in our stores. It's boiled beef meat. I don't buy it because it's expensive for me. It's one of the best things you can buy to eat, real quality meat. It's highly valuable, our grandmothers have made such jars with meat when they kill an animal. There is also pork and chicken, they are cheaper.
Prices in Sofia are slightly higher, so if you go to the province you can find the same products a bit cheaper. I'm surprised you find the veggies in those kind of shops tasty, as we find them nothing 'like they used to be', and especially nothing in compare to the veggies that you can easily buy from family-owned shops, but I guess that's normal everywhere. Anyway, glad you like it here, enjoy.
Брато не знам от къде си ама си заседнал назад във времето във София е най евтино явно не си бил във Бургас един чипс ти е 5лв там а във София 4.50лв ако ги намалят на 3лв във София Пловдив ст з
Well, you must be drinking a lot. The maximum size of a plastic bottle of beer in Bulgaria is 2.5L. As far as I know. There were companies' attempts to sell 3L bottles, but it seems it's not for the Bulgarian market.
They taste good look fresh. - That is the country that was supplying the entire Asia and Europe with fruit and vegetables 30 years ago for you. But people say the fruits and vegetables were far more tasty than they are right now.
11:21 Beer in glass is nicer than that in plastic bottles, and for that the price is different.some of the best beers in a plastic bottle are Pirinsko and Shumensko, the rest of the Bulgarian beers have a big difference compared to plastic and glass bottles.
Nice video, guys! There is a difference between Ayvar and Lyutenitsa. I don't remember what Ayvar actually was, but Bulgarians love Lyutenitsa. You can find Ayvar here as well (and you did in Billa), but it's 50 times less available and popular than Lyutenitsa.
This came from an old Bulgarian tradition to prepare the winters in Bulgaria (which are not that severe lately, as they were in the past). But, the meat in jars has a special technology and could last for years (if properly kept). You can always use it to eat it simply if you're a late customer or put in a dish at the end of cooking (it's cooked well) :)
Btw those jars with meat are actually quite good, I don't know if the store ones are good( i assume they are) but usually in the past our grand-parents used to conserve different kind of meats(most often beef) in jars like that so they can later on use it in home prepared dishes during the winter or after couple of months.
Thank you both for sharing this insight, so i can budget when I go on vacation! I wanted to know about Bulgaria, I have a penpal from there. Hey Steve, Trinidad and Tobago was almost Canada's Caribbean islands in history bygone and to your wife, I have so many Indonesian followers on my Rock music internet radio station and artwork page that I added Indonesia to my bucket list of places I have to visit. Thanks Guys!
Billa is an Austrian supermarket chain, so I wonder whether some of the non-local products, such as Head & Shoulders, manufactured elsewhere and packaged for the Bulgarian market, helps bump up prices? Fascinating video.
Such products became very expensive everywhere, not just in Billa in the last 1-2 years. I have to watchout for a promo in a pharmacy/drug store. For example in DM they would sometimes have them at 1/2 price, which is basically the price they were before. No chance in a supermarket.
Billa is definitely not the store for cosmetics, especially for foreign(imported) ones. There are other cosmetic stores that have much better deals(sometimes for half the price), for example like DM. In general some online cosmetic stores have the best deals for cosmetics, perfumes etc....
For fruits and vegetables one should always look at the labels for a sign like "Произход: България" (Origin: Bulgaria), they are always better than any imported stuff (if it's common to here, and not some exotics, of course), anything grown on bulgarian land/soil comes out with a good (may be for americans it will be like excellent/fantastic 😁 or sth. like that) quality and taste. For the other stuff, like sausages, cheese and etc., the higher the prices is, the better the quality, but not always :) There also some standards like "БДС" or "Стара планина", signed on the guaranteed quality ones.
In fact, you should NOT buy ANY import fruits and vegetables, if there are local ones available, in most of the South-European countries. Especially in Bulgaria and Portugal :) And yes, Bulgaria IS the land of gardening foods, sausages and meat, the best juices (though made by imported substances) and it is THE Land of Beer in South-Eastern Europe, but most of all it is the Home/Motherland of the real yogurt, not Greece, and really not the 'yogurt' you are eating in the West. Japanese have found this already, you can do some research on the subject. BTW, even your Coke is better here, as it is made with some kind of glucose-fructose syrup, not the usual sugar. And if you are familiar with the real healthy way of eating, you should avoid all those 'Zero/no sugar' and other beverages made with chemicals instead of natural products, even common sugar is million times better. And also, you not really have to avoid meat fat, like the one in those jars you were wondering at 😁 And one more thing - actually the jarred meat here is the best, I guess- if it's like that meat from the past everyone was preparing for the winter :) No wonder it was the most expensive at the store ;o)
If you're interested in the standards for cheese (БДС) and for meat products ("Стара планина") and you want to ask for such in a store, they are pronounced [BèDèSè] and [Stàra planinà]. The one thing I'm not sure you'll manage to pronounce is лютеница [lyutenìtza], like Lew-tenìtza :] That thing you called 'ayvar'.
Salàmi (sausages) is the same in bulgarian, though this is the plural - for 'salàm'. [Sìrene] (in bg you pronounce every sound as it is written, no [ei] for the letter 'a', [i:] for 'e' and so on :) ) is the white cheese, [kashkavàl] is the yellow one :)
In Germany, like in the Lidl-s in Portugal, is sold a real yogurt w/ the bulgarian lactobacilus, may be bought from our Institute named Elbi Bulgarikum like the Japanese do, but for a strange marketing reason it is called 'greek style' and is branded with big ugly letters sayin' 'GREEK/GRECO' 🥲🤐
The right environment is a very important thing for bacteria. Even all the thousands kinds and kilograms of bacteria you and I carry and grow (for our own good - and that's not just the so called probiotic ones, but ALL mycobacteria and higher class complex bact.) are different because of our own body env., and are totally not the same as those, grown in labs. That's why the lab for the yogurt b. must have at least an envir. most close to the wild-life where they are found in roaming state, not in human bodies. I mean, no lab-grown bact. are perfect, but if you can grow them with minimum intervention, you get the right ones. Then we grow them in our bodies, change them, kill, grow again an so on, all according to our biological needs. That is why you can do a real good yogurt out of one taken from BG to another country only 1-2 times and then it deteriorates and every other attempt becomes less and less fruitful, the milk just doesn't ferment and becomes some mess :) I've tried and seen it.
I'm think the reason Bulgarian produce is so good is because it's not a terribly big country. All the farms aren't far from the supermarkets and cities, so the food doesn't need to be overly preserved with chemicals and stuff. It's not like buying potatoes in Florida which were grown 2500 miles away in Idaho...
Nice video, thank you for visiting our country! Generally I avoid shopping in these chains, due to the fact those usually scalp the hell out of local producers in order to sell the goods at somewhat "low" competitive prices to the imported garbage. Better swallow the higher price in a local small store or fruit stand, at least you'll be helping out a family business :)
I don't know what exactly you mean, but wasn't it one of the biggest dictatorships yet in the time of the 'kovid' hysteria, together w/ your brotherly nation of Australia...? :)
I am Bulgarian , cooked food from supermarket is garbage. Also that banica is fake too 😂 probably on Madrid boulevard in Sofia, next to Zaimov park you can find some decently made breakfast
Awesome video! It's been a while since I've seen one of your videos. As like there others, this one too is a lot of fun to watch. Really good prices I would say! Enjoy your time in Bulgaria.
@@JetLagWarriors he doesn't know what he's talking. Turkiye introduced ...😂Who are the majority of people in Turkiye! Turkic people. Who were the Turkic people before Ottomans. Gengiz Khan, Kubilay Khan, Oguz Hun, Atilla Hun....The Huns. Who controlled the Silk Road! The Turkic people - the Huns. Tea and Spice was like the petrol of that time. Of course, at that time he most powerful empires was Turkhun empires mixing with Mongols . The power struggle was between China , in which wall of China built against the Huns advancement further into China. That time was all about spices and tea, not gold, not petrol. Anyway! At the end British came to control the Silk Road in which the game has changed. And British took the tea and spices. And then took the control of India and also the gold. Obviously, this guy never went to primary school in Turkiye because the wall is covered with pictures of our Huns and time line. Now, China's massive Belt & Road initiative is the modern version of the Silk Road.
@@JetLagWarriors have your heard ' Semaver ' Russian and Persian ' Samover' Ottoman Turks introduced Semaver to the rest of the world such as Balkan and Arabic countries. It was a tea making equipment used in Ottoman Empire time. Turkish Republic was founded in 1923! I think that guy meant not 60s but 16th century 😂 or doesn't have any clue about history of Turks or Turkic people.
HI, the thing you are referring to in 2 minutes and 30 seconds is called Pastet what you are holding is ham-like type of salami we use in sandwiches. Pastet is the meat spread you put on toast :)
You're in the basement of Mall of Sofia! I was there in like August for a ID card run. Now I am back in Plovdiv - if you didn't visit yet, you're missing out.
Billa is an Austrian owned company and their stores can be found in many Balkan and central European countries. Whilst they sell many Bulgarian products, they are not typical of a Bulgarian supermarket - Bulmag might have been a better choice. Supermarkets in Bulgaria are on the expensive side and it's best to shop at local stalls, small independent shops and markets. The supermarkets serve a purpose - convenience.
The homemade jarred meat is an old tradition, and it's the most tastful and at same time natural. But we are not sure if that in the store is the same. According to the price, it has to be, but... :)
It is salami not tubular meat. Salami is a type of sausage that is made from the finest meat, previously kept in salt water with various spices. We have that in Serbia too, cheap, but for a good pig the bad salami is good 😂 Ps Serbia and Macedonia have the best ajvar!
@@JetLagWarriors I am almost cetrain that Ivana is actually fond of Bulgarian Ljutenitsa not Bulgarian Ajvar, we Bulgarians don't eat Ajavar often and I personally don't even know the taste of it, the colour doesn't look appetising to me and I was never eager to try it as I hate eggplants. When it comes to Ljutenitsa you can taste more the tomatoes and peppers, the eggplants and carrots are just there to add more substance. The ratio of peppers:tomatoes:eggplants in Ljutentintsa is like 4:2:1. The oder ingredients are garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, parsley and sometimes cumin. So the main difference between Ajvar and Ljutenitsa is in the tomatoes in Ljutenitsa and the small amount of eggplants in it, Ajvar is mostly made of peppers and eggplants. If Ivana likes Ljutenitsa more, it's because of the tomatoes. My grandmother for example never used eggplants for the homemade version as we didn't have them in our garden, and most villagers didn't grow them, we just don't like this plant as much as other Balkan people, we don't even use eggplants for our version of Musaka.
hello from Romania to our best neighbour Bulgaria :D
Hello komshu come eat Duner
Hi Romania
I’m from Bulgaria-
And I know this mall😰-
Mai taci.
I don't know if someone mentioned these, but will share them ☀️
1.Billa is overall a very expensive supermarket, so some of the items, like the shampoo, the meats are very overpriced. It's not the great option for shopping.
2. The vegetables and the fruits from the supermarkets are actually not so good, if you want tasty produce, you can go the farmer markets, there you can find fresh vegetables and fruits strait from the producer.
3. The kompots are best if they are home made.
4. The meat you were talking about is called "pastet", the one you squeeze and when we were little it was very popular breakfast option👌
5. The yogurts it's best to take one from the middle price range, as the cheaper ones are not really good.
6. I saw someone mentioning it, but yes, don't buy the cooked food from Billa 😂 maybe like a last option if you cannot find something to eat, but otherwise no 😂😂
Hope you enjoyed Bulgaria 🇧🇬 ❤!
Great! Some things I'm gonna add:
1• Billa isn't the cheapest, but it's in the "ehh..." price range, where it's okay but you are better of going somewhere cheaper. The problem is, they seem to have found a Billa in a mall (Billa's are usually outside solo, not in a mall) which certainly increases the price ...in Sofia - where everything will be overpriced.
2• They have come to Bulgaria to get a taste of our nation, then come to our nation and have a taste of it properly. The best fruit and vegetables, especially tomatoes, are homegrown in the villages. Go to local small farmer markets for best produce. Bulgaria has very tasty natural produce, you just have to look in the right place. I'm not sure if other parts of Bulgaria have this, but in our town we have what is called a "co-operative", basically a large farmer market, slightly closed to protect from shade.
3• Kompots are a "baba's food", they are usually homemade, and best when that is done. Tbh, I've always gotten kompots from relatives and friends in villages, rarely from supermarkets.
And skipping to
6• Yeah, why'd you buy cooked food from Billa (or a supermarket in gen). Tbf, it depends on the food and on the Billa, but if you want cooked food do it yourself, or have it from a local bakery/store/zavedenie.
Thanks for the info. The prices aren't THAT much cheaper than here in Canada.
as a bulgarian everything here is overpriced
@@heydays-x3s I can only imagine. Here in Canada our wages are decently high but people are eating out way less. I even started cooking alot more.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, the discounted meat products are most likely very close to the expirery date.
Hello Beautiful Bulgaria 🇧🇬
From the Philippines 🇵🇭
A piece of advice - do not buy the cheapest sausages, cheese or milk from the shelf. Target at least the middle or better - high range.
The cheaper will not poison you, but they contain substitute ingredients that decrease the food quality.
E.g. cheap cheese contains palm oil, instead of natural fat (butter). Cheap yogourts contain cream instead of milk and a second grade culture, not the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. Cheap lyutenitsa (the peper-tomato-eggplant paste) contains potatoes instead of part of the peppers. Cheap sausages contain soy and other animal substitutes, instead of real meat. Cheap beer contains spiritus instead of naturally fermented culture. Cheap wine contains water and more sugar that naturally fermented grapes. The list may continue, but I believe you got the idea.
Yeah but Steve carries the American/Canadian mentality, buy one get 100 free. Than he wonders why everything taste like cardboard in Canada back home.
@@zjarr6279 Unfortunately, this is the case everywhere. I am happy Bulgarians re-discovered good food and more and more producers offer high quality at... well... high prices. But at least you know what you eat and it is more delicious.
Which stores sell good quality food in Bulgaria?
@@ki5739 Yeah but he ought to know better, seeing different view points through traveling. BTW who cares about super markets in foreign countries, it's like a show about America inside other countries.
@@tj5308 There is not a simple answer of this question. If you buy food from the countryside from a small producers or home-made - It's guaranteed it's of good quality. If it's from small towns - 90% as well. If it's from the big supermarkets in the big cities - there are goods for any taste. From junk food to super quality. It depends on the taste and the prices :) Although I think, my statement is not valid only for Bulgaria.
8:53 Yes, like in Poland in Bulgaria is called also Kompot, but the fruit is not fermented (spirit), but boiled with added sugar . This preserves all nutrients to be ready for use during harsh winters back in the day.
Kompot is love
Like the meat in jars!... :)
at this point is more of a tradition to make since there are no harsh winters around here.
Also in German we have a word Kompott. BTW big tomatoes. Here in Germany we think those big and meaty ones are genetically modified which never rot. I'm not criticising GM food since it can help poor countries to stop famine. GM food is normally cheaper than organic food and is resistant to droughts and insects and more and more.
@@niceberliner, GMO is a total B.S. and it cannot feed the poorer countries; less greed from western corporations is what will help them. And the big tommatoes here are some local hybrid sorts, not GMO, and if they are grown locally, theese are the best-best tomatoes :) The same is with the twisted cucumbers, that EU used so much not to like till recently 😁
Hello from Bulgaria🇧🇬 our best neighbor Romania and Greece
I found the prices expensive. For example here in Portugal our minimum wage is more than double that of Bulgaria and the prices of products are very similar! I keep thinking that it won't be easy for a person, who lives in Bulgaria and earns the minimum wage, to buy the essential products!
Double the minimum wage, and similar cost of groceries? Wow, Portugal is doing great!
Actually, Portugal is one of Ivana and my bucket list destination. Hopefully we can make it there someday :)
@@JetLagWarriors The problem now in Portugal is the very inflated rental prices. to pay for a small apartment and if you are lucky to find it (because they are rare) you spend more than half of your minimum wage.
@@JetLagWarriors But I think you are right to want to visit Portugal because it is an incredible country that has everything. good food (the best you will ever find), beautiful nature, cultural heritage and a lot of history, and fantastic people! I bet you would easily put it at the top of your list of countries to live in.
The wage in Portugal is never more than double! Portugal 1600, Bulgaria 1000. See here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage
@@yogiaolShe's actually right. The minimum wage in Bulgaria is 780 lev (€399) per month, while in Portugal it is €886 per month, which is more than twice higher.
Hello guys 😊❤, Welcome to Sofia-Bulgaria!🤗
I work as a cashier in Billa-Bulgaria! The Sausage in yellow packaging (product made especially for Billa) at 2.22min. is boiled-sausage, You confused it with pate!😘
Hello. I need very important information. How much Sofia house or apartment for couple. Please send me price dollar 😊
Go local markets and small grocery shops to get your fruits and veggies.
I love how positive you are even when you see unfamiliar products (canned meat). For the 2L beer its quite common to get it for a party, drink it as a starter (a bottle per 2-3 people) and then continue with something stronger. And for the banana juice, I've never looked for it outside of Bulgaria but here it's as common as any other haha you should definitely try it
haha we have never seen banana juice before😅
We are the best in juices too, obviously, not kidding! :)
For me banana juice tastes like shampoo. I hate it :).
I've never seen banana juice here in Romania. Not even once.....
This a newer tradition, though we did have pretty good 'nectars' in the past, always made from the same natural products you can see here even now. Later, our newly established private producers, unlike most of the rest branches, did continue the tradition and started importing cheap but good quality concentrates of all possible fruits :) and now all the brands have mostly these 100% juices, w/ only water added.
Another tip, Billa is notorious with the cooked food stall, avoid it. In most cases, it is tasteless or completely inedible. I recommend Fantastico's cooked food stall. Also at Kaufland, but there they are located after the cashiers before the exit of the building itself, in most cases there are also other shops.
Mmm-mmm-MMMMMMMMMMMMM! Obicham pile s privkus na podmetka
Personal experience - I have never bought cold cuts or discounted meat from Billa that were good to consume. All expired, rotten, mouldy etc. I also refuse to buy anything from the ready made food stall, it always smells like bad meat there... Billa is basically the worst supermarket for me. I'd much rather go to Kaufland or Fantastico, even Lidl is better. I go to Billa if I absolutely have no other choice, and only buy packaged stuff/ veg. Their veg is good.
@@prokoba1337 It's strange that I have always had the absolute opposite opinion.
ALL supermarket chains/networks/franchises or whatever you call them sukk!
I live in the UK but go to Bulgaria for my summer holiday.Dare say food in Bulgaria is more expensive and Billa particularly is one of the most expensive stores in Bulgaria
No your Just getting scamed Come to city like sofia/plovdiv/stara zagora
Dont go to the beaches thinking it Will be cheap not single country in the world have cheap beaches burgas varna is expensive bcs its tourist destinetion and most westerners go there and when U exchange money they are double the Lev
Prices in Bulgaria seem to have gone up even higher than in Romania last year... From what I saw in the video everything is way more expensive compared to 2021. Inflation FTW :(
Shumensko (the red labeld one) is an OK popular beer, but I would advice against 2l PET. Bottled or canned is always better, albeit more expensive. As for the name, I beleive it comes from the city of Shumen, the same way as the Romanian beer Timisoreana means literally "from Timisoara" :)
Just as a quick refference, the few Bulgarian words I know are from my childhood as a Romanian watching Bulgarian TV (Leka noch detza?!). Seems Jivkov had better taste in TV than Ceausescu :))
You watched Leka nosht detza / Good night, children/? I didn't know it was possible in Romania. We were in front of the televisions at exactly 7:50 p.m., because there weren't many children's programs at that time. And maybe it was for good.
@@skokondrela77 yeah, it was possible with a special antenna. We also watched the Studio X movies, when they were subtitled, not dubbed
It is more than certain that the four major retail chains in Bulgaria have a cartel agreement. This is how it works with elections every 5 months and lack of functioning institutions.
@@ipostaze2 and we turned our antenas to Yugoslavia, as their TV was better than ours :D
@@skokondrela77 From Calarasi,Romania,all tv antennas caught signals from Silistra.
The salami "Kamchia" is not made to be squized. You just slice it. The one that can be squized actually is a Pate but in the same shape as the Salam "Kamchia"
Meat in a jar is very tasty. In the past, people didn't have refrigerators and kept food that way. It can be eaten straight from the jar, it can be cooked with rice or potatoes. Fast and tasty.
It tastes good? Interesting... We had some other comments saying the jarred meat tasted bad, but I'd be curious to try it
@@JetLagWarriors Then you have to form your own opinion from experience.
@@JetLagWarriors I concur with @skokondrela77. The jar meat is super tasty and ready for consumption. The only con is that it's far more expensive than buying and cooking on your own raw meat. But it saves you time.
@@JetLagWarriors Oh, haven't read all of the comments, but I explained it to the newest one: This came from an old Bulgarian tradition to prepare the winters in Bulgaria (which are not that severe lately, as they were in the past). But, the meat in jars has a special technology and could last for years (if properly kept). You can always use it to eat it simply if you're a late customer or put in a dish at the end of cooking (it's cooked well) :)
And it had saved sooo many university-students from a hungry death...!!! 😁
The "Meat tube" isn't actually a spread. It's like ham, you have to slice it. The one Kamchia is the best, you should try it with cheese on toast and a slice of tomato.
It's a (a low end l, but very tastefull) sausage, not ham. And even though the real "Kàmtchia" must be made with added garlic, the one of Billa is good... not like most of their brand labeled foods :)
Your comment on the fruits&veggies great taste made my day... every Bulgarian will tell you exactly the opposite, thus valid for fresh produce sold in the nation's supermarkets chains... FYI, if you wanna taste a true tasty ones, first and foremost buy only seasonal, and if so, try to get it form the public market (farmers)... look for an elderly sellers (higher chance for a farmer's own produce). Best Tip: Drive to the nearest village and ask the locals if you can buy some cherries, strawberries, yogurt, cheese , and so on...
As far, as the jarred meat... Boy, you must try it 150%, take the little pork one give it a try... I betcha u gonna love this shT. It's an old school method of preserving food, the meat is properly seasoned with herbs and tenderly soft, it melts in the mouth like butter.
Enjoy it
Ама са по скъпи отиваш да купиш от някъв дядо кашкавал той го прадава на 10терно от магазина щото било от чиста крава
Kashkavàl (yellow cheese) and white cheese - marked with БДС (BDS, the Bulgarian State Standard, which unfortunately is no longer obligatory for production of anything) and some cheeses made the Rhodopi (Родопи) Mountain region, and you don't have to go to a village to buy and taste a good one, especially if you're a foreigner on the road :)
[made IN]
The meat tube you are holding is not pashtet, pashtet you can squeeze. That is called kolbas and it is like a sausage similar to baloney, you cut it into slices and put in a sandwich.
Or just eat it right away! :)
Yogurt is invented in BG and grow only in BG. Lactos Bacilicus Bulgaricus is the bacteria that makes fresh milk into yogurt. This bacteria is imported even in Japan by Meiji company and all is labeled as Bulgarian yogurt.
We in India have been drinking yoghurt for 5000 years
Bulgaria has the best Yoghurt, but the one you will buy from the supermarket are generally not that good - they are mass produced industrial foods. The real yoghurt is in the small shops of the small dairies. It is amazing what difference the taste makes.
The Bulgarian version of ayvar includes tomatoes as well and it is called Liutenitsa (Liu - ten - itza)
Nqma takova istinsko kiselo mleko samo ot selo
Yes, and no, thera are some brands that still produce nace quality yogurt, incl. (domestic) buffalo, goat and sheep yogurt and cheese, but to be sure, a foreigner should look for the БДС sinlgn on the packages.
Love Bulgaria from Russia!
Спасибо за поддержку!!!
We love you back! ❤❤❤❤
Hail to the bratùshki! :)
Most of us do not love you :(
Първото с което започна клипа и ме порази. Възхитени са от доматите и като цяло зеленчуците в супермаркета. А по мое мнение като потребител, в този сезон, това което се продава е пластмасов безвкусен боклук. Що за зеленчуци ядат тези хора в техните държави?!
Не питай. Нищо няма вкус, наистина. И се продават само пластмасови неща, другите ги хвърлят, защото клиентите не купуват нещо “грозно”. В България ние знаем, че грозният домат е най-вкусен 😅
В една "развита" Холандия, където съм живял, зеленчуците бяха наистина като пласмасови. Изглеждаха като играчки от джъмбо
@@x99999x А в същото време Холандия е лидер в производството на домати. Т.е. изнася пластмаса.
В Холандия продаваха 3 чушки в тарелка и бяха като пластмаса. За доматите да не говорим, въобще не исках да ги ям.
the historic assumptions are fucking disgusting
The "meat" where you said it is meat spread, actually was wrong. This was a cheap ham. But yes what you are saying exists, it is just similar tube, but not that one.
Ajvar and lyutenitsa are different things, guys, just look the same. Lutenitsa is made with tomatoes while Ajvar does not use any tomatoes. Viva Lyutenitsa!
Oh, we did not know this! This is good info, thanks
The real bulgarian Liutenitsa always have carrot in it. I think you must taste bulgarian kiopoolu, it is authentic bulgarian product - eat it with bulgarian white cheese.
Ottomans did not have tea back then. The tea culture in Turkey is only 100 years old. Ottomans brought coffee to Europe and tea came to Turkey only 100 years ago from the Soviet Georgia. The government was looking for a crop to grow in the black sea region and apparently, the answer was tea. It became extremely popular since then. It's just black tea but Turkish people drink a lot of it. Ottomans left a lot of coffee near Vienna when they tried to take over the city. Coffee and the coffee house culture spread to Europe from the Ottoman Empire but they didn't have much tea. Tea is a new drink in Turkey compared to coffee.
2:38, that is a garlic salami, tubular spready meats are in a less gritty and in smaller tubes and they are less popular.
Nice vid. Subbed!
visit Nessebar at the seaside ;) you will like it...And Sunny Beach. Hello from Romania!
Bulgaria does have the best Ajvar, u can find it in some supermarkets in Romania, I even prefer it to our similar thing called Zacusca, which is also great. We also both love yogurt and cheese, especially salted white cheese. Lol the 2L beer bottles are a staple of the region, the beer is terrible and in plastic even worse but still beer so people who need to save up buy it
Zacusca in Bulgarian means breakfast :-)
So, you call zakùska the lyutenìtza? We also have sth. between ayvar and lyuteniza and call it apetìtka :]
Technically Ajvar is a North Macedonian thing.
Good video. Very interesting to see how grocery stores are in other countries. Maybe it’s a good thing junk food is a bit pricey there, people stick to the healthy stuff. In North America we are used to cheap junk food and unfortunately consume it as meal replacement 😮
Yes, this is a good point
HR ??
exacatly thats the point cheap and healty or unhealthy and not cheap
You are very much right, the junk food here in Bulgaria is not so cheap compared to some pretty good stuff if you know what, when and where to buy, and if you... eat a healthy bit of less food :)
"North America we are used to cheap junk food" Not anymore! In Sacramento, CA a 12 oz (340 gm) bag of Lay's Potato Chips is $4.98 or 9.10 Lev, prices have risen shockingly in the US also.
Great video fellas! It was fun watching you go through the store. Cosmetics which are imported are generally more expensive that's why the price of shampoo surprised you. Lyutenitsa and Ayvar look similar, but they are different products. Lyutenitsa has more ingredients and everyone I know prefers it to ayvar.
P.S. Steve you really need to up your game mate! The average Bulgarian takes 10 minutes to finish them 2 littre bottles.
Yep, there are many cosmetic products by Bulgarian companies at a world-class level and they are cheaper ;) Imported cosmetic products are expensive, as they don't sell much in Bulgaria ;)
Just a tip, even if it is a plastic bottle, most people don't drink straight out of plastic bottles bigger than 500ml, meaning anything u see for drinking in a plastic bottle bigger than 500ml, it is smth that is usually poured into a glass, but before that has been cooled down in the fridge, never drink warm beer or any sort of beverage, lmao
As a Bulgarian i know All this pre-packaged meats contains nitrates E numbers and some of them has soy so i don’t advise you to eat that
Thanks for visiting mine country! Trust me, Bulgaria is the land of yoghurt.
Hello friends and welcome to Bulgaria :)
All white cheese is Bulgarian white cheese. The Bulgarian flag on the label is because this product is made in a traditional Bulgarian way and meets the standards - it is a kind of quality standard.
The tap water in Sofia comes from Iskar Dam and depends on where you live in Sofia the tap water is actually excellent (not everywhere tho).
The only good thing in Sòfia...! 😁 But it's not good for washing 🤣 It takes a milion hours to wash the soap off you hands or body.
Типично по български не спряхте да се оплаквате. Вече е скъпо на всякъде. Аз благодаря за клипчето , абсолютно реално показва всичко.
Беше полезно за мои близки от чужбина, които се интересуваха за всичко това.
Благодаря!!!🌸
@@bubabing3036 навсякъде*
A very good price for the cherries. If I were there, I would buy a lot
And also the best cherries in the world! :) At least were the best before some foreign sorts were introduced and planted.
I live in BG and you are pretty much spot on with your summary. Try the sheeps yoghurt its extra creamy, I also drink the Nova Brasilia pretty good quality/price. I find eggs here are much better than UK. I also eat trout (pesturva) at least every week its super quality in BG
For the yogurt you are right, and we have also buffalo, goat, like cow and sheep yougurt, cheese...
BUT! No way a good-coffee drinker can call "Nova Brazila" anything near to a good coffee 🤮 Unfortunately all the other imported brands, incl. the 'high-end' italian ones suck. I buy only from local stores and make my own mix. It and the portuguese coffee, I sometimes can get directly from there, are the only coffees I can drink. It's not some pose, it's a fact - the others taste like sheet :)
only Grannies drink Nova Brasilia In Bulgaria
@@cami0076 haha true, but I upgrade to Lavazza if its in the coffee vending machines which for people who do not know coffee machines are everywhere in BG and very very cheap, in my area its still 50 stotinki, £0.23 or around 25 euro cents, a bit more for Lavazza if available. Hope this is a step up from Nova Brasilia.
Ha, Lavazza for 50 st. from a vending machine...?! What year was this? :)
@@KaiHansen-sf1lq read the post properly I said its more for Lavazza if they have it, but yes the standard dulgo is 50 st, as of today 2023
It may not be expensive for avarage person from anywhere in Europe, but for avarage person in Bulgaria this is expensive.
I kind of forgot they were no longer in Turkey. When I heard Ivana talking about pork in the deli section, I was like "What? Isn't Turkey a Muslim country? Do they have pork products there?" 😅, then I realized they are in Bulgaria now
😁
Billa is an Austrian supermarket brand and not the cheapest. Their prepared food you saw is not the tastiest. I would never eat a shopska salad in Billa. It is 1 million times better in most proper restaurants especially the smaller ones or the Happy chain. For the real veggies and fruits always go the smaller shops. Btw, our local and biggest chain is called Fantastiko with a Ф red logo. Nice video, though.
Fantastiko is the shittiest big chain in Bulgaria, though. It has the worst cooked food and abnormally high prices. Kaufland and Lidl beat Fantastiko on every parameter. Even Billa beats it.
@@ivanpetrov5185I totally disagree as a person who is living abroad. Even though it is a bit pricy, Fantastico has wider range of brands/products and better quality of the products overall. Especially, healthy or vegan options. When it comes to the prepared food I would definitely recommend Fantastico over Billa by far, I can assume that the quality can vary depending on the location but I have never tried something tasty from Billa’s prepared food.
ALL supermarket chains/networks/franchises or whatever you call them sukk!
@@ivelinaivanova8908 First of all, can we agree that Fantastico has the MOST EXPENSIVE prices in all chains in Bulgaria? Secondly, Fantastico's cooked food is real shit. The fact that Billa's cooked food is shit too does not make Fantastico better.
@@KaiHansen-sf1lq Lidl and Kaufland are good. The rest are sh*t.
2:15 We have pate in such tubes, but that one is not a pate, it won't squeeze out, it's a compact processed meat, you have to peel it off and slice it, like it shown on the picture.
When I was in Bulgaria in 2020 (before covid) the prices were way lower. Now they shot up close to a 100% like that packaged sliced bread used to be aroud 0.90 leva and now it's 1.66 ... just wow
A few clarifications here
1) The "sausages" in the begining are mostly types of salami
2) the "tubular meat" that he squeezes is actually a type of ham, it's not a spread (paté) although some patés do come packaged this way, so I get the confusion.
3) Don't buy meals from the "ready section" in Billa, most of the time they are pretty bad.
4) The pepper and tomato spread they are looking at is not ajvar it is lyutenitza. Although they are similar lyutenitza is more of a spread, where as ajvar is more like a salad and has more ingredients. You can find both in most supermarkets in Bulgaria but people usually prefer lyutenitza.
5) the large bottles of beer are usually bought for large gatherings. You are meant to buy the bottle put it in the fridge and cool it, then drink all of it in one sitting (by yourself or with others) so that it doesn't loose it's fizines and taste.
Romanian neighbor here, the plastic bottle 2l beer is for hanging out in front of the apartment block and eating sunflower seeds.
😁
8:15 That is one of the most expensive products in our stores. It's boiled beef meat. I don't buy it because it's expensive for me. It's one of the best things you can buy to eat, real quality meat. It's highly valuable, our grandmothers have made such jars with meat when they kill an animal. There is also pork and chicken, they are cheaper.
For you is cheaper but for most of the people outside Sofia is expensive... :)
Prices in Sofia are slightly higher, so if you go to the province you can find the same products a bit cheaper. I'm surprised you find the veggies in those kind of shops tasty, as we find them nothing 'like they used to be', and especially nothing in compare to the veggies that you can easily buy from family-owned shops, but I guess that's normal everywhere. Anyway, glad you like it here, enjoy.
The word 'province' is not applicable to Bulgaria in the way some Bulgarians understand it.
I can agree with that, im Romanian and yes the good veggies and fruits , the organic ones are a bit hard to come across in this day and age.
he meant countryside xd
Брато не знам от къде си ама си заседнал назад във времето във София е най евтино явно не си бил във Бургас един чипс ти е 5лв там а във София 4.50лв ако ги намалят на 3лв във София Пловдив ст з
Ако ми намериш баба или дядо да продават пресни неща на евтино медал ще ти дам във село е по скъпо от града вече
hello from Romania! we have 3L bottles of beer here
Well, you must be drinking a lot. The maximum size of a plastic bottle of beer in Bulgaria is 2.5L. As far as I know. There were companies' attempts to sell 3L bottles, but it seems it's not for the Bulgarian market.
Greetings from a bulgarian! Nice video.. keep up
They taste good look fresh.
- That is the country that was supplying the entire Asia and Europe with fruit and vegetables 30 years ago for you. But people say the fruits and vegetables were far more tasty than they are right now.
I love how Steve is fascinated with the beer in 2L bottles :))). Did he not see them in Romania as well?
3L also. Noroc beer 🙂
@@MrQ454 In Bulgaria we have 7-8 types of 2L beers as well.
11:21 Beer in glass is nicer than that in plastic bottles, and for that the price is different.some of the best beers in a plastic bottle are Pirinsko and Shumensko, the rest of the Bulgarian beers have a big difference compared to plastic and glass bottles.
You shoulda tried some home-made Lyutenitsa, you would enjoy it far more than store bought.
Nice video, guys! There is a difference between Ayvar and Lyutenitsa. I don't remember what Ayvar actually was, but Bulgarians love Lyutenitsa. You can find Ayvar here as well (and you did in Billa), but it's 50 times less available and popular than Lyutenitsa.
Interesting tour in that Bulgarian supermarket. First time seeing meat/pork sold in jar. Thanks for posting, Steve lvana.
This came from an old Bulgarian tradition to prepare the winters in Bulgaria (which are not that severe lately, as they were in the past). But, the meat in jars has a special technology and could last for years (if properly kept). You can always use it to eat it simply if you're a late customer or put in a dish at the end of cooking (it's cooked well) :)
It’s practically Spam but with actual real meat in it 🤷🏼♂️
8:56 And yes we call it Kompot too but most of the "Kompots" are in a Jar
Actually Billa is not a bulgarian store. It's a austrian store and compare to the others stores in Bulgaria is slightly more expensive.😊
И смешното е, че австрийците ни постоянно блокират достъпа към Шенген, а пък и като Чехия, Словакия имаме австрийски супермаркет. Каква ирония.
Visited the Red Flat evoking socialist 1980’s and was surprised to learn shopska salad was created in the 1960’s as part of a Balkan tourist campaign.
The Bulgaria videos are sooo fun to watch
Fruit does look very good, and prices good. Steve that beer is huge!!! Keep safe, healthy and happy.
Btw those jars with meat are actually quite good, I don't know if the store ones are good( i assume they are) but usually in the past our grand-parents used to conserve different kind of meats(most often beef) in jars like that so they can later on use it in home prepared dishes during the winter or after couple of months.
Just a funny tid-bit. If someone see you ordering/drinking tea. The first thing they will ask is if you are sick :)
Ne💀
interesting!
Yes, if you are ill or just a kid :) , you drink tea and cocoa. When you grow up, you drink coffee and rakìya! 😁
@@KaiHansen-sf1lq no
🤪
Thank you both for sharing this insight, so i can budget when I go on vacation! I wanted to know about Bulgaria, I have a penpal from there. Hey Steve, Trinidad and Tobago was almost Canada's Caribbean islands in history bygone and to your wife, I have so many Indonesian followers on my Rock music internet radio station and artwork page that I added Indonesia to my bucket list of places I have to visit. Thanks Guys!
Billa is an Austrian supermarket chain, so I wonder whether some of the non-local products, such as Head & Shoulders, manufactured elsewhere and packaged for the Bulgarian market, helps bump up prices? Fascinating video.
Such products became very expensive everywhere, not just in Billa in the last 1-2 years. I have to watchout for a promo in a pharmacy/drug store. For example in DM they would sometimes have them at 1/2 price, which is basically the price they were before. No chance in a supermarket.
@@a.n.6374 Yes, in Germany is now head & shoulders expensive 5-6 euros. Before 3-4 years war 3.90 Euro.
Billa is definitely not the store for cosmetics, especially for foreign(imported) ones. There are other cosmetic stores that have much better deals(sometimes for half the price), for example like DM. In general some online cosmetic stores have the best deals for cosmetics, perfumes etc....
That H&S is produced in Romania, I checked the label of mine.
The bulgarian shampoos, esp. those for children, are way much better and natural, and not only them, almost all the cosmetics.
Loved your interest in the 2L beers.
For fruits and vegetables one should always look at the labels for a sign like "Произход: България" (Origin: Bulgaria), they are always better than any imported stuff (if it's common to here, and not some exotics, of course), anything grown on bulgarian land/soil comes out with a good (may be for americans it will be like excellent/fantastic 😁 or sth. like that) quality and taste. For the other stuff, like sausages, cheese and etc., the higher the prices is, the better the quality, but not always :) There also some standards like "БДС" or "Стара планина", signed on the guaranteed quality ones.
In fact, you should NOT buy ANY import fruits and vegetables, if there are local ones available, in most of the South-European countries. Especially in Bulgaria and Portugal :)
And yes, Bulgaria IS the land of gardening foods, sausages and meat, the best juices (though made by imported substances) and it is THE Land of Beer in South-Eastern Europe, but most of all it is the Home/Motherland of the real yogurt, not Greece, and really not the 'yogurt' you are eating in the West. Japanese have found this already, you can do some research on the subject.
BTW, even your Coke is better here, as it is made with some kind of glucose-fructose syrup, not the usual sugar. And if you are familiar with the real healthy way of eating, you should avoid all those 'Zero/no sugar' and other beverages made with chemicals instead of natural products, even common sugar is million times better. And also, you not really have to avoid meat fat, like the one in those jars you were wondering at 😁 And one more thing - actually the jarred meat here is the best, I guess- if it's like that meat from the past everyone was preparing for the winter :) No wonder it was the most expensive at the store ;o)
If you're interested in the standards for cheese (БДС) and for meat products ("Стара планина") and you want to ask for such in a store, they are pronounced [BèDèSè] and [Stàra planinà].
The one thing I'm not sure you'll manage to pronounce is лютеница [lyutenìtza], like Lew-tenìtza :] That thing you called 'ayvar'.
Salàmi (sausages) is the same in bulgarian, though this is the plural - for 'salàm'. [Sìrene] (in bg you pronounce every sound as it is written, no [ei] for the letter 'a', [i:] for 'e' and so on :) ) is the white cheese, [kashkavàl] is the yellow one :)
In Germany, like in the Lidl-s in Portugal, is sold a real yogurt w/ the bulgarian lactobacilus, may be bought from our Institute named Elbi Bulgarikum like the Japanese do, but for a strange marketing reason it is called 'greek style' and is branded with big ugly letters sayin' 'GREEK/GRECO' 🥲🤐
The right environment is a very important thing for bacteria. Even all the thousands kinds and kilograms of bacteria you and I carry and grow (for our own good - and that's not just the so called probiotic ones, but ALL mycobacteria and higher class complex bact.) are different because of our own body env., and are totally not the same as those, grown in labs.
That's why the lab for the yogurt b. must have at least an envir. most close to the wild-life where they are found in roaming state, not in human bodies. I mean, no lab-grown bact. are perfect, but if you can grow them with minimum intervention, you get the right ones. Then we grow them in our bodies, change them, kill, grow again an so on, all according to our biological needs. That is why you can do a real good yogurt out of one taken from BG to another country only 1-2 times and then it deteriorates and every other attempt becomes less and less fruitful, the milk just doesn't ferment and becomes some mess :) I've tried and seen it.
2 liters beer is for eldermans to drink in front of their "bloc" with neighbours and play backgammon.
We even got 3L bottles
🤣
That's three 12oz bottles or cans
I'm think the reason Bulgarian produce is so good is because it's not a terribly big country. All the farms aren't far from the supermarkets and cities, so the food doesn't need to be overly preserved with chemicals and stuff. It's not like buying potatoes in Florida which were grown 2500 miles away in Idaho...
Maaan I am just starting the 3rd video about Bulgaria... you give sooo nice comments that we don't appreciate
what i can suggest is go to the rhodopi mountains and try the food there :D literally the best
It's unearthly there actually:)
Nice video, thank you for visiting our country!
Generally I avoid shopping in these chains, due to the fact those usually scalp the hell out of local producers in order to sell the goods at somewhat "low" competitive prices to the imported garbage. Better swallow the higher price in a local small store or fruit stand, at least you'll be helping out a family business :)
"Tubular meat" - first time I've heard that expression, love it :) Thank you for sharing this, it was an interesting insight!
Very good content.
As far as prices go Canada is a dictatorship from stores to the central bank 🤣🙏🏼
Very nice Steve😍
Trudeau = Gigolo
🤮🤮🤮
I don't know what exactly you mean, but wasn't it one of the biggest dictatorships yet in the time of the 'kovid' hysteria, together w/ your brotherly nation of Australia...? :)
In 🇧🇬for us it’s very expensive,because our salary isn’t high (like 350euro)
Some items are more expensive from London 😢
Hi, my friends, good morning, excited for activities, wow, I really like your content, it looks really cool
🇷🇴❤️🇧🇬
Salt cured pork- prosciutto. Those tomatoes look like beefsteak tomatoes from New Jersey.
tomatoes and other vegetables look "shiny and fresh" cause they are AcTUALLY PAINTING THEM (no joke, they paint them for real)
Welcome 🤗
Billa is not really Bulgarian supermarket chain.
I am Bulgarian , cooked food from supermarket is garbage. Also that banica is fake too 😂 probably on Madrid boulevard in Sofia, next to Zaimov park you can find some decently made breakfast
Awesome video! It's been a while since I've seen one of your videos. As like there others, this one too is a lot of fun to watch. Really good prices I would say! Enjoy your time in Bulgaria.
Prices are very similar to my country Lithuania. Nice video😊
Banana juice is good honestly, especially green banana I think it's called
We call it kompot (компот) in Bulgarian too.
3:32 The çay (tea) culture is a new thing in Turkey actually. Turkey was introduced to tea in the 60s, and at that time there was no Ottoman Empire.
Oh this is interesting! Thanks for this info
@@JetLagWarriors he doesn't know what he's talking. Turkiye introduced ...😂Who are the majority of people in Turkiye! Turkic people. Who were the Turkic people before Ottomans. Gengiz Khan, Kubilay Khan, Oguz Hun, Atilla Hun....The Huns. Who controlled the Silk Road! The Turkic people - the Huns. Tea and Spice was like the petrol of that time. Of course, at that time he most powerful empires was Turkhun empires mixing with Mongols . The power struggle was between China , in which wall of China built against the Huns advancement further into China. That time was all about spices and tea, not gold, not petrol. Anyway! At the end British came to control the Silk Road in which the game has changed. And British took the tea and spices. And then took the control of India and also the gold. Obviously, this guy never went to primary school in Turkiye because the wall is covered with pictures of our Huns and time line. Now, China's massive Belt & Road initiative is the modern version of the Silk Road.
@@JetLagWarriors have your heard ' Semaver ' Russian and Persian ' Samover' Ottoman Turks introduced Semaver to the rest of the world such as Balkan and Arabic countries. It was a tea making equipment used in Ottoman Empire time. Turkish Republic was founded in 1923! I think that guy meant not 60s but 16th century 😂 or doesn't have any clue about history of Turks or Turkic people.
foarte putina lume la billa in bulgaria !, in romania billa nu mai exista !
In Bulgaria nu mai exista Carrefour :-)
HI, the thing you are referring to in 2 minutes and 30 seconds is called Pastet what you are holding is ham-like type of salami we use in sandwiches. Pastet is the meat spread you put on toast :)
The prices in red are promotional... That's why the beer was BGN 2
You went to the Worst place to buy fruits and veggies......literally - the worst food in Bulgaria is in Supermarkets >
The "Колбас Камчия" is more like spam :)
And you can drink tap water almost everywhere in Bulgaria!
Except in Shumen 🤣
7:48 ЛЮТЕНИЦА FOREVER!
👋 hello and welcome in my country Bulgaria 🇧🇬 ❤️
LOL the guy was really impressed by the dvulitrovka :D
The imported foods and shampoos are more expensive for sure, especially after Covid some of the prices just skyrocketed
You're in the basement of Mall of Sofia!
I was there in like August for a ID card run.
Now I am back in Plovdiv - if you didn't visit yet, you're missing out.
Billa is an Austrian owned company and their stores can be found in many Balkan and central European countries.
Whilst they sell many Bulgarian products, they are not typical of a Bulgarian supermarket - Bulmag might have been a better choice. Supermarkets in Bulgaria are on the expensive side and it's best to shop at local stalls, small independent shops and markets.
The supermarkets serve a purpose - convenience.
I like cherry!! Nice supermarket, very neat, and meat in jars! interesting.
The homemade jarred meat is an old tradition, and it's the most tastful and at same time natural. But we are not sure if that in the store is the same. According to the price, it has to be, but... :)
And you guessed right - the best cherries in the world! :) At least were the best before some foreign sorts were introduced and planted.
It is salami not tubular meat.
Salami is a type of sausage that is made from the finest meat, previously kept in salt water with various spices. We have that in Serbia too, cheap, but for a good pig the bad salami is good 😂
Ps Serbia and Macedonia have the best ajvar!
Lol I knew the Ivana's ajvar comment would get some responses hehee
@@JetLagWarriors and it is very important for you to know the difference between roasted and boiled ajvar. Roasted is good and boiled is bad.
@@JetLagWarriors I am almost cetrain that Ivana is actually fond of Bulgarian Ljutenitsa not Bulgarian Ajvar, we Bulgarians don't eat Ajavar often and I personally don't even know the taste of it, the colour doesn't look appetising to me and I was never eager to try it as I hate eggplants. When it comes to Ljutenitsa you can taste more the tomatoes and peppers, the eggplants and carrots are just there to add more substance. The ratio of peppers:tomatoes:eggplants in Ljutentintsa is like 4:2:1. The oder ingredients are garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, parsley and sometimes cumin. So the main difference between Ajvar and Ljutenitsa is in the tomatoes in Ljutenitsa and the small amount of eggplants in it, Ajvar is mostly made of peppers and eggplants. If Ivana likes Ljutenitsa more, it's because of the tomatoes. My grandmother for example never used eggplants for the homemade version as we didn't have them in our garden, and most villagers didn't grow them, we just don't like this plant as much as other Balkan people, we don't even use eggplants for our version of Musaka.
Ayvàr is not Lyutenìtza! :)
Very few people in BG know what ayvar is. We make and eat sth. similar we call apetìtka.