Bulgarian food is rustic and comforting

A selection of traditional Bulgarian appetisers. Bulgarian cuisine relies heavily on tradition and is proudly rustic. Photos: dpa

Foodies, let it be known: Bulgaria is no place for gourmets – at least according to restaurant owner Maria Duness-Rose. “Our cuisine is rustic,” she says. And actually, she really means it.

Bulgarian cuisine makes use of everything that comes from the ground or is raised on the land. The rest must be made up for with rakia, the Bulgarian liquor that is set out early, with the appetisers. “We only ever take a small sip,” insists Duness-Rose, who runs a Bulgarian restaurant in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighbourhood.