Since I came to Sofia on Aug 1, the air gets cooler after each rain, some leaves have turned yellow, and some autumn flowers start to blossom. There can still be some hot days occasionally, and before the tail end of summer slips away, I want to mention a few Bulgarian summer food or drink. I don’t have photos for these, but one can easily google their names to see what they are. I will post some photos of the plants from earlier, instead.
Ayran (айран)
It is a very refreshing drink in summer made out of diluted yogurt by water with a pinch of salt. It can be freshly made at a restaurant, or sold in bottles in the supermarket. One can add fruits to it, too. It is very popular in Turkey and other nearby countries, as well.
Tarator (Таратор)
It is yet another drink using yogurt, but with finely chopped cucumbers and dill. It is popular everywhere during the summer season.
Shopska Salad (шопска салата)
This salad is so easy to make with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and grated Sirene cheese. You can salt the vegetables a bit, but I find the Sirene’s salty level enough for us and we don’t need to add any other seasoning. One can also add some chopped onions, peppers, olives, and/or olive oil in it. I think that the key to make this salad elsewhere is not the recipe (as it is very simple), but whether we can get such fresh and ripe ingredients as what we can get here in Bulgaria.
Sirene Cheese (Сирене)
The closest thing to Sirene cheese is Feta cheese, but their textures and flavors are still different. You can grate the Sirene when making the Shopska Salad, or use it elsewhere that cheese is needed. In Bulgaria, there are typically two types of cheese, the white Sirene, and the yellow Kashkaval (Кашкавал), and one doesn’t need anything else.
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