Bulgarian food is close to traditional European cuisine. Typical food specialities include:

    * Shopska salad - prepared from diced tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, green peppers, topped with feta cheese and seasoned with olive oil and parsley
    * Tarator - cold served soup from yogurt, fresh cucumbers, seasoned with garlic and dill
    * Sirene po Shopski - feta cheese, diced tomatoes and onion topped with egg and cooked in pottery
    * Kebapche - minced meat rolls seasoned with traditional spices and barbecued
    * Kuyfte - minced meat balls seasoned with traditional spices and barbecued
    * Shish Kebab - grilled skewered meat, onion and paprika
    * Byurek peppers - peppers stuffed with cheese and herbs and then rolled in flour and fried.
    * Banitsa - baked pastry filled with cheese (and sometimes leeks or spinach).

Traditional local type of brandy is rakia - made of grapes, plums, apricots, pears or some other kind of fruit. In winter rakia may be served hot, and in summer – ice cold.

Bulgaria is a renowned producer and exporter of wine. The most distinctive among the whites are Traminer and Chardonnay; noteworthy among the reds are Melnik, Mavrud, Merlot and Cabernet. Bulgarian beer is also worth mentioning, with several regional brands.