Slippers

Bulgarians think that British homes all have two taps - one for cold water, one for hot - that our windows always open outwards instead of inwards, and that we don’t remove our shoes when we come in from outside. All of these are considered odd, but especially the shoes. In Bulgaria you always take your shoes off when you enter someone’s home. Instead of padding around in your socks, you’ll be given slippers to wear - usually the kind you find in hotel rooms. There’ll probably be a little cupboard near the door where a supply is kept for use by guests.

Bob

Beans. More specifically, white beans which have been slowly cooked in a clay pot with vegetables and herbs. The types and quantities of vegetables and herbs will vary, everyone has their own version, but there will usually be chopped onions, peppers, carrots and tomatoes. Bob is served in the pot with spearmint on top and is eaten as a side dish, often with sausage. ‘Sausage’ in Bulgarian is nadenitsa (наденица) and ‘with’ is c, so when combined the dish is: bob c nadenitsa, pronounced ‘Bob Snadenitsa’ which sounds like a reliable yet slightly bumbling veteran policeman in a crime novel.