Shopska

Named after the Shopi region around Sofia, this is the country’s ubiquitous salad and the perfect accompaniment to rakia. Tomatoes, cucumber and sirene – Bulgarian white cheese which is similar to feta but saltier and less crumbly. Don’t be deceived by the apparently simple ingredients, keep in mind that vegetables actually have proper flavours here. Even the substandard dregs you find in Billa (the equivalent of Tesco) are tastier than the high quality organic produce you can buy in the UK. Before I came to Bulgaria, I didn’t much like tomatoes and I could never really see the point of cucumbers.