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Food and Drink In Bulgaria we experienced some of the best food I've ever experienced - and, indeed, some of the worst. Sunny Beach never scored in the former section (and nor did Varna - nor indeed our favourite coastal city, Bourgas) and we'd regularly travel to Sozopol, via Bourgas, to escape the hassle and bland anonymity of Sunny Beach to eat - and were never, ever, disappointed. Bulgaria first created and cultured yoghurt. It's no surprise therefore to discover so many beautiful yoghurt based cuisines. A tavator (yoghurt and cucumber) makes a great start to the day whilst with walnuts and salad, a salato mlechna, won't bang up the calories. A banista (a hot cheese or meat flaky pastry) makes a good snack alternative and a great hangover, high cholesterol substitute. Try the ever present Shopska Salad for a relatively healthy lunch - chopped tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and olives. Health addicts might just omit the the feta and olives. Vegans might be offended by that superb, fat spitting mixed grill, a meshana skara (and, yes I guess for Veggies its very size could be pretty scary). For an evening meal a Kavarma, generally consisting of pork, or perhaps veal, but reminiscent of a goulash, with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, garlic and paprika - or a fish or meat stew (gyuvech) generally with peppers, aubergines and beans. Both are cooked in an individual clay dish. We became addicted to chicken livers in all their many forms - simply with tomato sauce for breakfast or wrapped in bacon for lunch or supper. The best value food is almost always from a mehana (essentially a taverna). Look for one full of Bulgarian families. Beware any restaurant with menus printed in languages but no Bulgarian. Try to avoid the themed restaurants that now permeate Sunny Beach and other tourist developments - particularly if fronted by a smooth talking hustler. There has to be a reason why the guy needs to work so hard (if the food was that good people would flock back by themselves). Be particularly careful to check your bill should you pay a second visit to such a venue and make even greater effort if the alcohol has been flowing a little too freely! For the self caterer there is a huge range of sausage products, frozen chicken and meats and tinned fish - the anchovies (frequently sold in plastic containers) are particularly good value. Bulgarians grumble that the mass produced sausages sold in the shops don't equate in flavour with those found in the major city markets but a shop sausage favourite of ours is marked 'de mancha'. It's essentially a chorizo - great nibbled raw 'on the hoof'', in any salad or gently fried as an accomplishment with chicken breast (say in a basic sweet red pepper and tomato sauce), or with poached egg for breakfast or brunch, or in the evening with an onion and tomato base as a 'Spanish' stew. But if you like good fish, great views, tranquil surroundings and wish to be pampered - at basically very silly prices - take that Sozopol bus. I guess we can't leave this food section without recommending appropriate liquid accompaniment. Believe me, this took some hard and serious research. I've been a lifetime enthusiast of Bulgarian wine - and particularly their full bodied reds, Cabarnet Sauvignons and those so smooth Merlots from Suhindol and Pomorie. They taste great in the Britain where I almost always accompany good food with wine. I rarely drink beer in the UK (Ireland excepted), but, strangely in Bulgaria invariably drink the excellent Zagorka beer (Special or Gold) and my partner, who rarely drinks alcohol, somewhat to my alarm, began to share my enthusiasm. Try to avoid the bottled or canned Kamenitza (draft is fine) - we generally poured it down the toilet and, upon reflection, guess it did nothing for Bulgaria's Blue Flag status (or fish with headaches - Ed). Now I'm not normally a Brandy Man. Bulgaria somewhat changed my perception. Silvoka rakiya from plums, Kasieva rakiya from apricots and Pomorosko rakiya from grapes (and, yes, I guess you spotted it - rakiya is Bulgarian for brandy) all proved great aperitifs (for supper, lunch - and the very occasional breakfast). My favourite was the Kasieva - but be warned, a double is an English quad.
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