Simple Bulgarian Shopska Salad
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One Bulgaria’s most famous dishes is Shopska. It also happens to be country’s national salad. Served as a side or a meal, the ingredients were chosen to represent the colors of the Bulgarian flag (white, green and red).
Shopska also highlights Bulgarian Sirene a feta-like cheese that’s fuller bodied, saltier and less crumbly than the feta cheeses you might be used to. If you can’t find authentic Bulgarian Sirene/feta, you can, of course, use Greek feta. Or try salting some fresh mozzarella to match Sirene’s creamy texture.
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- ½ yellow bell pepper chopped
- ½ onion sliced
- 50 grams Bulgarian feta cheese Sirene crumbled
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Chop tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and onion in bite size chunks.
- For the dressing combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Toss the vegetables with the dressing and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Crumble the feta cheese on top of the salad and garnish with parsley!
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Nutrition
Notes & Tips
- Red wine is often used instead of white wine vinegar and oils like sunflower are used instead of olive oil. Speaking of olives, they’re sometimes added to this salad.
- The dressing is often served on the side rather than mixed with the vegetables in part because the salad is delicious on its own!
- Shopska is commonly enjoyed with homemade fruit alcohol (like rakia) but brandy makes a good substitute.
I hope you enjoy this refreshing Bulgarian salad. If you are looking for another refreshing Bulgarian dish, try this cold soup.