Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarian banitsa shines in a world ranking - what we don't know about this ‎traditional dish

Photo: Taste Atlas

The Bulgarian banitsa stood out in a prestigious ranking, entering the top 50 of ‎the most delicious cheese dishes in the world. The famous website for ‎traditional cuisine and local products, Taste Atlas, has assigned the Bulgarian ‎delicacy the prestigious 5th position, while two more Bulgarian specialties fall ‎into the ranking - Shopska salad (14th position) and the shepherd’s salad (41st ‎position).‎

In different parts of Bulgaria, the banitsa made in a different way and it can have ‎a different taste, Prof. Dr. Ana Kocheva, head of the Dialectology section at the ‎Institute of the Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, ‎explained to Danail Konov from BNR’s Radio Sofia. She became convinced ‎of this, together with her colleagues, while traveling around the Bulgarian ‎language territory in connection with the preparation of an interactive culinary ‎map.
"Banitsa is the common Bulgarian name, but it can also be found as mlin, ‎which also means banitsa in various Bulgarian dialects, but not only," says ‎Prof. Kocheva and adds:‎
Проф. д-р Ана Кочева

"If you're in the Rhodope Mountain and they talk to you about banitsa, keep in ‎mind that they're talking about banitsa, even though it's made with rice. The ‎so-called “zelnik” (cabbage pie) is also a variety of banitsa everywhere in the ‎Bulgarian language territory, but don't be mistaken that it is made with ‎cabbage, rather it is a pie with all kinds of greens and plants from the garden, ‎including herbs. Although in some places the zelnik is indeed made with ‎cabbage, but it is rather sauerkraut, most often the zelnik variety os understood ‎as a pie with spinach, dock, etc. There is also the name “bilnik”  for a herb pie ‎‎(from “bilka” meaning herb”).



There are also the milk banitsa, the lazy banitsa, the barren banitsa, etc.. And ‎the oldest linguistic form of banitsa in Bulgarian lands is "gibanitsa" and is ‎characteristic of the Vidin region (the verb “nagibam” means to fold.) ‎Widespread are also names from the Turkish language, ‎for example burek, ‎pedia or pidia, and also the sweet tatlia, etc., because:‎
‎"We talk about Bulgarian national cuisine, but it is largely Balkan. It is ‎practically oriental”, says Prof. Kocheva.‎‏ ‏‎“ There are many intersections here in ‎the Balkans. And in this sense, we could talk about "culinary Balkanisms", ‎both in terms of language and in terms of food," says Prof. Kocheva.‎



Banitsa is undoubtedly the most traditional Bulgarian dish and is associated ‎with both the festive table and everyday life. It is no coincidence that it is in the ‎top 5 of the world ranking - this is the dish with which the Bulgarian national ‎cuisine attracts our foreign guests, Prof. Kocheva believes and adds:‎

‎"Banitsa is so popular because it is connected with the primordial food. with ‎the bread, with the dough, with the kneading, with the yeast, and with ‎everything that is both culinary and symbolic - both in the Bulgarian national ‎cuisine and in our traditional culture, and even in mythology. Because then, ‎when the bread and the banitsa can be mutually replaced, it means that the ‎attitude towards them is equally respectful, equally reverant," says Prof. ‎Konova. ‎



Compiled by Veneta Nikolova based on material by Danail Konov from ‎BNR's Radio Sofia
Editing by Darina Grigorova




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Photo: BECC „Kliment Ohridski“ Washington DC

The Bulgarian Educational and Cultural Center "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Washington DC - a small corner of our homeland

There are many Bulgarian schools in the United States, with the oldest one founded by the Bulgarian diaspora in Chicago. In addition to the well-known Sunday schools, there are many other forms of educational initiatives through which the Bulgarian..

published on 8/24/25 7:15 AM

Bulgarian tomato varieties to be presented at Budapest Botanical Garden

Tomato Day will take place in early September at the Botanical Garden in Budapest, Hungary. The Bulgarian Republican Self-Government in the Hungarian capital announced this on its Facebook page. Gabriela Hadzikostova: Bulgarians in Hungary enjoy..

published on 8/23/25 9:35 AM
Снимка: Първо Българско неделно Училище „Ян Бибиян“, Стокхолм

Yan Bibiyan Bulgarian School in Stockholm will open doors for the next school year

On August 23, the First Bulgarian School in Stockholm "Yan Bibiyan" will open its doors for the new school year 2025/2026. The institution announced this on its Facebook page. "Language, traditions and friendships, all in one place!" - this is what..

published on 8/23/25 8:10 AM