Shopska Salata (Шопска салата)

My husband had to visit bulgaria for an official purpose and that's when I tried googling about Bulgaria, its tradition, culture and cuisine. I was surprised to know that Bulgarian food culture holds strong roots to ancient cooking using fresh vegetables. Their traditional recipes are highly healthy and vegetarian. I thought I must try them right away and hence asked my husband to purchase the signature items of bulgaria to try the bulgarian cuisine right here at home.

Shopska Salata or Shopska salad is a traditional summer salad which is popular among the balkan regions like Bulgaria,Macedonia and Serbia. The main ingredients are Tomatoes,Cucumbers and Bulgarian White Feta Cheese. These colors Red,Green and white represent the bulgarian national flag. Interesting ins't it:)

The Bulgarian white feta cheese, also known as sirene is very famous and native to bulgaria made from sheep's milk and a special bacteria that is found exclusively in bulgaria. The texture is very soft and crumbles easily when touched. It is not hard as the processed cheese that we get here in India. It is slightly salty and has a fresh creamy aroma.I loved eating it plain and it tasted too good and yummy :):)!!!! It is very similar to greek feta cheese. Bulgarians use it as an accompaniment to almost all their dishes and also have it in fried form.

The salad is served in a special Bulgarian clay pot called ,Gyuveche. Yes, I asked my husband to get these from Bulgaria. This is a must buy souvenir if you are visiting Bulgaria. :):)

Bulgarians use Sunflower oil in their cooking and as for the vinegar, it is Grape Vinegar. Since, I could not get hold of grape vinegar, I have used Balsamic Vinegar which is close enough substitute in my opinion because both Balsamic and Grape Vinegar use Grape Must as their major ingredient. However, the difference between traditional balsamic vinegar and Grape Vinegar is the way the grape must is prepared.

Let's see how to prepare this easy refreshing salad.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1. Banglore Tomato - 1 big (chopped finely)
2. Cucumber - 1 (peeled and chopped)
3.  Bulgarian white feta cheese - 1/4 cup
4. Onion(Red/White) - 1 big or 2 small 
5. Red/Green/Yellow Bell pepper - 1 small or 1/2 big ( chopped)
6. Olive Oil/Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp
7. Red Wine Vinegar/Balsamic Vinegar/White Vinegar - 1 tbsp
8. Fresh Parsley/Cilantro - for garnishing
9. Salt and pepper as needed

Method

1. Mix tomato, cucumber, onions and chopped bell peppers in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add needed salt and pepper,Oil and balsamic vinegar and gently toss the salad.

3. Top it with freshly crimbled bulgarian white feta cheese.

4. Garnish with cilantro/parsley and the summer refreshing salad is ready:):)!!!!

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. I have used extra virgin olive oil for this recipe as I like to use it personally for raw salad.However, if you want to maintain authenticity for the recipe, use sunflower oil.
2. You can add any vegetables to make this salad, but main ingredients are tomatoes,cucumbers and cheese.
3. Use any fresh cheese if Bulgarian white feta cheese is not available.
4. You can also substitute lemon juice instead of vinegar and it tastes great equally.
5. I have used cilantro as I didn't get fresh parsley here. Originally, Parsley is used for this recipe.