Where is Bulgaria?
Bulgaria (България) is a country in the Balkan region in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, and Serbia in addition to the Black Sea to the East. Since it lies in the crossroads of many different nations, it has developed a unique blend of cultures. Bulgaria’s dance, music, clothing, and of course its cuisine draws from the influence of its neighbors, with a mix of Eastern and Western cultures.
As a country founded in the 7th century following independence from the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria is one of the oldest states in all of Europe. Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Cuisine
Given its roots from the Ottoman Empire, many Bulgarian recipes date back many, many years. Its cuisine shares similar characteristics with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.
Here are a few of the most famous Bulgarian recipes:
Tarator: a cold soup made with yogurt, cucumber, and dill (similar to Tzatziki)
- Mish-mash: a fun recipe that combines cheese, vegetables, and tomatoes which is classically served in the summertime
- Musaka (Moussake or Мусака): a famous dish made with potatoes and pork, covered with a custard dough of eggs/yogurt, and baked
- Banitsa (Баница) aka the current recipe: this is one of the most widespread recipes you will find in Bulgaria
- Mekitsi: little yogurt-based Bulgarian donuts
- Meshana Skara: this is when you combine various forms of grilled meat such as kyufte, kebapche, pork steak, pork skewer in addition to sides like French fries.
- Shopska Salata: somewhat similar to a Greek salad, this Bulgarian salad tosses together tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, parsley, and is topped with grated cheese
What is Banitsa?
Banitsa (aka “баница” in Bulgarian) is a fun and traditional Bulgarian pastry dish. It consists of:
- a filling made with yogurt, cheese, and baking soda (the baking soda reacts with the yogurt and causes it to rise, allowing for a fluffier filling)
- phyllo dough
- butter between the phyllo sheets
- rolling the phyllo “burritos” circumferentially into a spiral
When is Banitsa eaten typically?
You typically eat banitsa in the morning as part of breakfast. You can eat it either hot or cold depending on your preference.
It is also eaten on holidays such as Christmas and New Years Eve. During these occasions, people bake kusmeti (lucky charms such as a coin or dogwood branch) into the banitsa and if you get that piece, you are rewarded with health and longevity among other good fortunes.
Traditional Banitsa
We admit that although we used a traditional style of making banitsa, if you want to make it completely authentically, you can use the following substitutions (we don’t have a nearby Bulgarian store so we used widely-used alternative ingredients used to make our Banitsa).
Cheese: if you’re able to find sirene cheese, use that instead of feta.
Phyllo: if you’re up for the task, try making your own homemade phyllo
Yogurt: if you can find Bulgarian yogurt, use that instead of Greek yogurt
Variations of this recipe
While this recipe is the most popular version, other variations use other ingredients for the filling such as cabbage, pumpkin, or spinach.
We used a cast iron to bake our Banitsa since it is circular and can go in the oven. However, you can also use a circular baking dish or even a rectangular one if you don’t care about it being shaped into a circle!
Recipes similar to Banitsa
If you like this recipe, let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out our other delicious recipes that are similar to this Banitsa recipe:
Banitsa (Traditional Bulgarian Cheese & Phyllo Pie)
Ingredients
- 12 oz feta cheese crumbled
- 1.5 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 package phyllo dough
- 3 eggs
- ½ stick unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet into the oven in the last 5 minutes of preheating to preheat the skillet.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs, feta cheese, and baking power until well combined.
- Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough and lightly brush with butter. Scoop a few small spoonfuls of filling randomly across the phyllo sheet and roll up the phyllo into a log.
- Pull the cast iron out of the oven and wind up the phyllo log, placing it in the center of the skillet. Repeat this process, placing phyllo logs with filling concentrically until you have either used up all the filling or filled up the skillet.
- Lightly brush the top of the phyllo logs with some butter and place in oven, baking for 25 minutes. Let it cool off slightly before serving although it can be eaten either warm or cold.
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