I'm probably pronouncing most of these incorrectly. If you want to learn how to pronounce Bulgarian words, watch a video from someone who's Bulgarian 😉. Want to see some quirky things I found interesting about Sofia? Check out this video: ruclips.net/video/vxTw_lNyssM/видео.html
You pronounce those well. "Sirene" is pronounced (see-rae-neh), and "banitsa" is pronounced "bànitsa" (emphasis on the "a"). I'm also kinda surprised you didn't try our moussaka. It's very different than the Greek one. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Greek food, but their moussaka is just plain awful. The Bulgarian one is without a doubt SO much better, and it also comes with our yogurt. It's not a matter of some weird national pride or nationalism, but man, our yougurt IS the best in the world. Better than the Greek one, better than the one they sell in Western Europe and America. Here we'd call that "milk product", not yogurt. A Bulgarian scientist discovered its formula in the early 20th century (although it was used for hundreds of years before that) and there is a reason why it can be fermented only here, in this exact region. Also, it's VERY good for your health, doesn't have a lot of calories, and even if it does, it's the good ones, because it's a natural product. My favorite brand is "Terter". They kinda mix it with some heavy cream and it becomes absolutely irresistible, especially the 10% one.
Hi so Bulgarian yogurt is different from all the other yougurt in the world because of the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus bacteria that we only have in Bulgaria . Thats what is giving it the specific acidity and taste you can't get anywhere else in the world . And yes we are very proud of our Yogurt !!! Interesting fact - in Japan Bulgarian Yogurt or as we call it Kiselo Mlqko(sour milk) is held in very high regard for the last 50 or so years :)@@SeanGranseeTravel
The Krenvirshka made me laugh. It's kind of a guilty pleasure food for Bulgarians. We know it's bad for us but everyone secretly enjoys a good krenvirshka. :D I'm glad you liked it.
When I lived in Bulgaria briefly, my favorite banitsa shop opened at midnight. It was run by a wonderful babushka, and was a laundromat during the day. I would probably swing by 5-6 nights a week.
It's weirdly calming and relaxing watching these videos you made about my country, thank you, Sean. In a time when politically we're in such a bad place, it's good to be reminded of the good parts of living in BG. ❤
Additional info to the Shopska salad - it is named after Shopski region, the one where Sofia is located, but it is traditional to the whole of Bulgaria. You can also find it in Serbia and Northern Macedonia and even sometimes Greece and Turkey and having the same name "Shopska salad". The cheese used in it is not called just "sirene" because this is just the bulgarian word for cheese. The literally translated name of the cheese would be "white brined cheese" and after you open it there is this watery liquid in the package that comes out, this is the brine itself and if you are storing the cheese covered in brine, it will last longer and without it, it becomes stinky and yellow in few days. Edit: Traditionally the cucumber should be peeled. 2nd Edit: Shout-out for you for not being an ignorant American as we are used seeing in Europe. You are trying to blend in and understand the culture as much as possible. Well done mate. Will make you a home made banitsa if i had a chance.
Thanks so much for the comment! I clearly should have done more research about cheese before making this video. Now I feel dumb for just calling it sirene 🫣 and also pronouncing it so incorrectly. I also dumped out the brine when I opened the package, which I didn’t realize I’m not supposed to do. Next time, I’ll be sure to store it properly! I left Bulgaria over a month ago, and I still think about the cheese. It’s so delicious! 😋
@@SeanGranseeTravel I think you can get Bulgarian cheese in Chicago. I think that the biggest Bulgarian community in the USA is in Chicago, so there are Bulgarian stores and restaurants.
If you're still there you ought to try Bulgarian Moussaka at a restaurant - think of it as minced meat and tiny pieces of baked potatoes with spices and tomatoes topped with a layer of (you guessed it) eggs and yoghurt and then baked some more. It's a finnicky thing to make but amazingly good when fresh.
Hahahaha that cupboard behind you is in every apartment that hasn't seen a big reconstruction/renovation since the 80s/90s. My parents have the same :D
Yeah, the apartment we stayed in seemed super old. I loved it! It had a lot of charm, and was very different that anywhere else we've stayed in other countries.
I love how genuine you are with all the things you saw/learned about our country and it feels good to see foreigners actually enjoy their time here (cuz we're mostly used to hear negative comments..) But yeah, keep it up, you're great! 💓
I really enjoyed your videos you did in BG and will watch more videos in your chanel for sure! Keep it up with the awesome positive vibe and adventuristic mindset ✨
Hello from Bulgaria 👋, the chease "sirene" you are refuring to is actualy made out of yogurt :), also Sofia is only the capital there are Varna and Burgas (with the beuatiful beaches during the summer), Plovdiv one of the old citys there are many more citys other then Sofia with their own flavour of traditional food :)
Really nice video, well done and really honest opinion! Thank you very much by a Bulgarian! I would like to add that for the process to turn milk into yogurt it needs tho bacterias as: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus (guess why?). The yogurt originally came by Bulgaria and even nowadays it is exported all over the world especially in Japan. Good luck with all your travels and videos! B/R Miroslav
Tripe soup and Panagyrishte eggs (яйца по панагюрски) are great bulgarian dishes as well. I love both of them very much, they are basically my favorite food. One dish I'm not sure is strictly bulgarian is kavarma - it's a meat stew with onions and other vegetables. It's great as well.
Kudos Sean, you have mastered the SHOPSKA SALAD, the tricky point is how you cut the ingredients, something my wife doesn't seems to understand :) The cubical shape keeps the vegetables fresh and does not allow the water to drain out of them. One essential ingrediant you have missed though is 'Petroselinum crispum' aka parsley! Keep up the good stuff!
Just came across this video. Bar the salad, everything else is what we would have for breakfast. Also with them we would have airyan ( yogurt drink) . Have you tried sach( veggies and meat on a clay plate - not sure wyat it was called). Guvedje (butter on the bottom, white cheese, fresh tomatoes and onion above, with various meats next and " kashkaval" ( yellow cheese) on top with some herbs. When ready put and egg in top, can add chillies/ jalapenos and wgat is cooked in clay pot). Ither thing i can think of is kavarma, veans with sausage in clay pot, meshana skara ( mixed bbq with various different type of meat) , ovcharska salad( Sheppard salad which is strictly no vegans xD) and i can keep on going forever... Edit. Fat sausage fingers and i cba edit the post.
@@SeanGranseeTravel it's a sauce like thing made with tomatoes, peppers, a pinch of sugar and herbs. And it's very good, especially with BBQ . Try meat balls with lutenitsa next time.
Yeah, the sunflower oil is a must in the shopska salad, because greek salad has almost the same ingredients, only less finely chopped.The olive oil gives the greek salad a specific olive-y aroma, which shouldn't be present in the shopska salad.
Hey man ! Where exactly is the place that sells the Krenvirska ? I would love to try so can you share the address ? :d Къде продават тея кренвиршки хора, мн вкусни изглеждат ;д
I'm not sure how Bulgarian those are but next time (if any) go on and try: - Сирене по шопски (Shop styled cheese) [the translation is horrendous but I don't have a better one] - Свинско със зеле (Pork chops with sauerkraut) [it's imperative that the cabbage is fermented and not fresh before baking, otherwise the whole dish is way less tasty] - Дроб сарма (Just call it Drob Sarma, no good translation) [Rice with inwards like lungs, hearts etc., usually topped with yoghurt and eggs if I recall correctly) - Мусака (Mousaka) [different to the traditional greek one, potatoes and meat topped with the same thing as the Drob sarma] - Боб чорба OR Боб яхния (Bean Soup or Bean Dish) [It's usually done mostly the same but the thickness of the sauce will very] As I said, not sure if they originated here but they are as traditional as it gets.
Dude it's obvious you're from Chicago because one of your favorite Bulgarian foods is basically a hot dog. 😅 Krenvirska is very basic, we got these as kids, it isn't really a sausage inside, it's just a hot dog. It's not bad, it's just kind of cheap/basic and I wouldn't call it Bulgarian cuisine. "Krenvirs" in Bulgarian means hot dog, so the name roughly translates to "thing with a hot dog inside". 😄
Hi, great videos but I have to let you down the store bought banitsa is not the best banitsa you have to get some grandma to make you or try to make your own with home made sheep sirene!
To be fair the bulgarian cheese really shouldn't be called "sirene" since the word sirene is just the word for cheese in general. The best name for it would probably be like "White cheese" or "Brine cheese"
life without tarator isnt worth living. since i started living on my own and got a bit older i've been having it multiple times a week.. however, home made tarator is much better than restaurants. In restaurants they put too much water/too little cucumber and some of the spices are not to my taste
Ha, we really don’t have good tomatoes in the US. Or at least not in Chicago. I guess I shouldn’t speak for the entire US since it’s such a large country with so many different climates.
How about Greek cuisine shares some similarities with Bulgarian cuisine. Oh, and the yoghurt. It originates from Bulgaria. Don't confuse it with that 'Greek yogurt'.
Yep, I learned this while I was there. But before coming to Bulgaria, I wasn't familiar with Bulgarian yogurt (or really any Bulgarian cuisine), but Greek yogurt is something readily available at every grocery store where I'm from. So the comparison to Greek yogurt is me trying to describe it to others like me who are more familiar with Greek cuisine.
Why you don’t make researchers for foods before to talk if you check the founder on yoghurt is Bulgaria and is stupid to say on taste is like Greek yogurt when the Greek yogurt is on taste like Bulgarian
I'm probably pronouncing most of these incorrectly. If you want to learn how to pronounce Bulgarian words, watch a video from someone who's Bulgarian 😉.
Want to see some quirky things I found interesting about Sofia? Check out this video: ruclips.net/video/vxTw_lNyssM/видео.html
Don't worry, you pronounce them quite well.
You pronounce those well. "Sirene" is pronounced (see-rae-neh), and "banitsa" is pronounced "bànitsa" (emphasis on the "a"). I'm also kinda surprised you didn't try our moussaka. It's very different than the Greek one. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Greek food, but their moussaka is just plain awful. The Bulgarian one is without a doubt SO much better, and it also comes with our yogurt. It's not a matter of some weird national pride or nationalism, but man, our yougurt IS the best in the world. Better than the Greek one, better than the one they sell in Western Europe and America. Here we'd call that "milk product", not yogurt. A Bulgarian scientist discovered its formula in the early 20th century (although it was used for hundreds of years before that) and there is a reason why it can be fermented only here, in this exact region. Also, it's VERY good for your health, doesn't have a lot of calories, and even if it does, it's the good ones, because it's a natural product. My favorite brand is "Terter". They kinda mix it with some heavy cream and it becomes absolutely irresistible, especially the 10% one.
How do you guys live without these tings
Yummy! So, I've learned from the comments NEVER to confuse Bulgarian yogurt for Greek! (Now, I'm hungry for yogurt!)
Ha, pretty much! Bulgarians take their yogurt very seriously. But they invented it, so I don't blame them!
hungry period
The bacteria that makes it is literally called Bacillus Bulgaricus.
Hi so Bulgarian yogurt is different from all the other yougurt in the world because of the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus bacteria that we only have in Bulgaria . Thats what is giving it the specific acidity and taste you can't get anywhere else in the world .
And yes we are very proud of our Yogurt !!!
Interesting fact - in Japan Bulgarian Yogurt or as we call it Kiselo Mlqko(sour milk) is held in very high regard for the last 50 or so years :)@@SeanGranseeTravel
Greek yogurt is strained.
I have a Bulgarian wife. Fair to say, I'm a lucky man!
Нормално, българките са едни от най-големите чуждопоклоннички, което е дори обидно на фона на изчезващият ни етнос (1-ви по статистика в Света).
Haha made my day with that comment 😁
The Krenvirshka made me laugh. It's kind of a guilty pleasure food for Bulgarians. We know it's bad for us but everyone secretly enjoys a good krenvirshka. :D I'm glad you liked it.
They were soooo good! I had one every day for about a week. But yeah, definitely not the healthiest 😂
When I lived in Bulgaria briefly, my favorite banitsa shop opened at midnight. It was run by a wonderful babushka, and was a laundromat during the day. I would probably swing by 5-6 nights a week.
It's weirdly calming and relaxing watching these videos you made about my country, thank you, Sean. In a time when politically we're in such a bad place, it's good to be reminded of the good parts of living in BG. ❤
Omg i got hungrier with every minute of this video 😂😂
Amazing Town , good people , nice food , interesting place
True😄
Additional info to the Shopska salad - it is named after Shopski region, the one where Sofia is located, but it is traditional to the whole of Bulgaria. You can also find it in Serbia and Northern Macedonia and even sometimes Greece and Turkey and having the same name "Shopska salad". The cheese used in it is not called just "sirene" because this is just the bulgarian word for cheese. The literally translated name of the cheese would be "white brined cheese" and after you open it there is this watery liquid in the package that comes out, this is the brine itself and if you are storing the cheese covered in brine, it will last longer and without it, it becomes stinky and yellow in few days.
Edit: Traditionally the cucumber should be peeled.
2nd Edit: Shout-out for you for not being an ignorant American as we are used seeing in Europe. You are trying to blend in and understand the culture as much as possible. Well done mate. Will make you a home made banitsa if i had a chance.
Thanks so much for the comment!
I clearly should have done more research about cheese before making this video. Now I feel dumb for just calling it sirene 🫣 and also pronouncing it so incorrectly. I also dumped out the brine when I opened the package, which I didn’t realize I’m not supposed to do. Next time, I’ll be sure to store it properly!
I left Bulgaria over a month ago, and I still think about the cheese. It’s so delicious! 😋
Mate, you did well. All this were honest mistakes. And brine, no worries, we all dump it anyway, because mostly we eat it before it goes bad 😜
Calling it Сирене just is good enough, come on.
And I like my cucumbers Not peeled 😊
The video was great
@@SeanGranseeTravel I think you can get Bulgarian cheese in Chicago. I think that the biggest Bulgarian community in the USA is in Chicago, so there are Bulgarian stores and restaurants.
Shkembe soup - the best.
Is it made with cow stomach?
@@bornagainspirit yes, or pig, but cow is better.
Great video mate. Like you being open and very respectful of other culture
Thanks for the encouragement! Glad you liked the video 🙂
If you're still there you ought to try Bulgarian Moussaka at a restaurant - think of it as minced meat and tiny pieces of baked potatoes with spices and tomatoes topped with a layer of (you guessed it) eggs and yoghurt and then baked some more. It's a finnicky thing to make but amazingly good when fresh.
You are such a good content creator! How do you have only 430 subs?
Thanks for the kind words! I’m still really new at this. Hopefully my channel will grow in the future 🤞
Such a lovely and well made video! :) Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hahahaha that cupboard behind you is in every apartment that hasn't seen a big reconstruction/renovation since the 80s/90s. My parents have the same :D
Yeah, the apartment we stayed in seemed super old. I loved it! It had a lot of charm, and was very different that anywhere else we've stayed in other countries.
I love how genuine you are with all the things you saw/learned about our country and it feels good to see foreigners actually enjoy their time here (cuz we're mostly used to hear negative comments..) But yeah, keep it up, you're great! 💓
I really enjoyed your videos you did in BG and will watch more videos in your chanel for sure! Keep it up with the awesome positive vibe and adventuristic mindset ✨
Thank you so much. Glad you’re enjoying the videos. Stay tuned for more of Bulgaria, and then Italy after that!
As a bulgarian your number 5 killed me 😂
Hello from Bulgaria 👋, the chease "sirene" you are refuring to is actualy made out of yogurt :), also Sofia is only the capital there are Varna and Burgas (with the beuatiful beaches during the summer), Plovdiv one of the old citys there are many more citys other then Sofia with their own flavour of traditional food :)
Really nice video, well done and really honest opinion! Thank you very much by a Bulgarian!
I would like to add that for the process to turn milk into yogurt it needs tho bacterias as: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus (guess why?). The yogurt originally came by Bulgaria and even nowadays it is exported all over the world especially in Japan.
Good luck with all your travels and videos!
B/R Miroslav
Tripe soup and Panagyrishte eggs (яйца по панагюрски) are great bulgarian dishes as well. I love both of them very much, they are basically my favorite food. One dish I'm not sure is strictly bulgarian is kavarma - it's a meat stew with onions and other vegetables. It's great as well.
Oh gawd...good thing I just ate. I can eat like 10 Мекици right now :D
Just one note, you should peel the cocumbers. That way you eleminate most of the unhealthy stuff ;)
You can try mish mash
Ohh, I just googled that and it looks delicious! I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in Bulgaria 😋
Kudos Sean, you have mastered the SHOPSKA SALAD, the tricky point is how you cut the ingredients, something my wife doesn't seems to understand :) The cubical shape keeps the vegetables fresh and does not allow the water to drain out of them. One essential ingrediant you have missed though is 'Petroselinum crispum' aka parsley! Keep up the good stuff!
Oops! Haha, at least I got close.
maslina?
You could try roasting the peppers or adding vinegar and olive oil to the salad.
Go for the Pink bulgarian tomatoes. They are the best😏
Just came across this video. Bar the salad, everything else is what we would have for breakfast. Also with them we would have airyan ( yogurt drink) .
Have you tried sach( veggies and meat on a clay plate - not sure wyat it was called). Guvedje (butter on the bottom, white cheese, fresh tomatoes and onion above, with various meats next and " kashkaval" ( yellow cheese) on top with some herbs. When ready put and egg in top, can add chillies/ jalapenos and wgat is cooked in clay pot).
Ither thing i can think of is kavarma, veans with sausage in clay pot, meshana skara ( mixed bbq with various different type of meat) , ovcharska salad( Sheppard salad which is strictly no vegans xD) and i can keep on going forever...
Edit. Fat sausage fingers and i cba edit the post.
Everything is really right :)
Thanks! 😁
i like mekitsas with white bulgarian cheese and strawberry jam or just any jam tbh. salty soft milky cheese with sweet sugary jam on a mekitsa!
Meshana skara .
I did have some of that when I was in Bulgaria. Sooo yummy 😋
There's too much good food to include in a top 5 list.
Yogurt is Bulgarian per se, the bacteria used in its production is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Enjoy!
Mekica means smth soft-softy😂
Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza Lutenitza
I don’t think I had that! If I ever come back to Bulgaria, I’ll have to try it.
@@SeanGranseeTravel it's a sauce like thing made with tomatoes, peppers, a pinch of sugar and herbs. And it's very good, especially with BBQ . Try meat balls with lutenitsa next time.
Yeah, the sunflower oil is a must in the shopska salad, because greek salad has almost the same ingredients, only less finely chopped.The olive oil gives the greek salad a specific olive-y aroma, which shouldn't be present in the shopska salad.
Hey man ! Where exactly is the place that sells the Krenvirska ? I would love to try so can you share the address ? :d Къде продават тея кренвиршки хора, мн вкусни изглеждат ;д
I don't know the exact address, but it's super close to here: maps.app.goo.gl/8t4prJfUZUNCbxVf9
Look for the sign that says "FAST FOODS".
@@SeanGranseeTravel Thanks !! :)
You can eat mekitza without a topping.
I'm not sure how Bulgarian those are but next time (if any) go on and try:
- Сирене по шопски (Shop styled cheese) [the translation is horrendous but I don't have a better one]
- Свинско със зеле (Pork chops with sauerkraut) [it's imperative that the cabbage is fermented and not fresh before baking, otherwise the whole dish is way less tasty]
- Дроб сарма (Just call it Drob Sarma, no good translation) [Rice with inwards like lungs, hearts etc., usually topped with yoghurt and eggs if I recall correctly)
- Мусака (Mousaka) [different to the traditional greek one, potatoes and meat topped with the same thing as the Drob sarma]
- Боб чорба OR Боб яхния (Bean Soup or Bean Dish) [It's usually done mostly the same but the thickness of the sauce will very]
As I said, not sure if they originated here but they are as traditional as it gets.
As a Bulgarian my survival tip is never compare our food with other countries and don't mention Macedonia
0:58 so this is the equivalent of a "Pig in a blanket"
Dude it's obvious you're from Chicago because one of your favorite Bulgarian foods is basically a hot dog. 😅 Krenvirska is very basic, we got these as kids, it isn't really a sausage inside, it's just a hot dog. It's not bad, it's just kind of cheap/basic and I wouldn't call it Bulgarian cuisine. "Krenvirs" in Bulgarian means hot dog, so the name roughly translates to "thing with a hot dog inside". 😄
I do enjoy a good hot dog 😆
Hi, great videos but I have to let you down the store bought banitsa is not the best banitsa you have to get some grandma to make you or try to make your own with home made sheep sirene!
"I'd have Mekitsi every day if they weren't so unhealthy"
Also
"I have banitsa with minced meat every day"
Най-хубавите баници са с праз или спанак, може и с листа от цвекло. Плюс сиренето, разбира се.
Овчарската салата е по-хубава от шопската. Трябваше да опитате и шкембе чорбата. Иначе много добра реклама на държавата. Благодаря.
ооо шкембето иска да добавиш люто и чесът с оцет, ако няма някой да му го овкуси няма да го яде, то и аз голо няма да го ям :)
@@UniTechBgабсурд да
To be fair the bulgarian cheese really shouldn't be called "sirene" since the word sirene is just the word for cheese in general. The best name for it would probably be like "White cheese" or "Brine cheese"
life without tarator isnt worth living. since i started living on my own and got a bit older i've been having it multiple times a week.. however, home made tarator is much better than restaurants. In restaurants they put too much water/too little cucumber and some of the spices are not to my taste
I feel sorry for you if you truthfully find our grocery store tomatoes much better than any of the ones you have in US 😢
Ha, we really don’t have good tomatoes in the US. Or at least not in Chicago. I guess I shouldn’t speak for the entire US since it’s such a large country with so many different climates.
How about Greek cuisine shares some similarities with Bulgarian cuisine. Oh, and the yoghurt. It originates from Bulgaria. Don't confuse it with that 'Greek yogurt'.
Yep, I learned this while I was there. But before coming to Bulgaria, I wasn't familiar with Bulgarian yogurt (or really any Bulgarian cuisine), but Greek yogurt is something readily available at every grocery store where I'm from. So the comparison to Greek yogurt is me trying to describe it to others like me who are more familiar with Greek cuisine.
6:45 - no maaaan.
It's not Banitsa.
Don't hit the ,,i"
Hit the first ,,a" !
I guess thats why americans are not a fan of salads, because they never tried shopska salad
Oh, dude, gym and banitsa is not a good combination. They cancel each other out 😂
😂 yes, and ponichka and gym as well.
Why you don’t make researchers for foods before to talk if you check the founder on yoghurt is Bulgaria and is stupid to say on taste is like Greek yogurt when the Greek yogurt is on taste like Bulgarian
Lose the chewing!❤
I have lived in Bulgaria for 19 years and the only nice food is honey and yoghurt.