Bulgaria has always seemed to a Russian resident not entirely abroad: the language is understandable and similar, prices are affordable, air tickets are not required, since you can also get there by train. But for gourmets and lovers of spending time in friendly gatherings, the country looks like a real paradise, and Bulgarian cuisine and drinks allow you to spend a long-awaited vacation without much damage to the family budget.
Alcohol in Bulgaria
It is not allowed to import more than a liter of spirits and two liters of wine into the country, if the tourist does not enter from the territory of other EU countries. You should not try to bypass customs regulations, because alcohol in Bulgaria is quite affordable at prices and occupies a worthy place in the world ranking in terms of quality. In any supermarket you can buy an excellent local brandy for up to 20 levs per bottle (mid-2014) or wine no more than 10 levs. At the same time, the quality of the product is quite decent. Scotch whiskey is also respected in the country, which is much cheaper than in Russia.
National drink of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is famous not only for its resorts, where the gold of the sand competes in brightness and purity with the turquoise sea. In the local cafes and restaurants, you can and should taste the best drinks so that the memories of your vacation are associated with a delicate aroma and a magnificent bouquet:
- White nutmegs. The best are cooked in Sungurlar and Karlovo.
- White wines. It is definitely worth tasting Kadarka and Galatea.
- Brandy. "Slynchev bryag" is for those who are prone to nostalgia for the past.
Among all this splendor, one can single out a product that is perfect as a souvenir for colleagues and friends. Bulgaria's national drink is rakia, a brandy made from fruits. It is called the hallmark of the Balkan state, and the raw materials for its preparation are plums, wild dogwood, pears or apples. For a special taste and aroma, honey and anise are added to brandy; it is infused with juniper needles and cherry pits. A special kind of national drink in Bulgaria is grape rakia made from grapes.
Alcoholic drinks in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a country where it is customary to drink light wine, and therefore it is served with any meal and is used simply to quench one's thirst. Until recently, it was considered the norm for an average Bulgarian to consume one and a half liters of wine daily. Individuals who deviated from the general rule seemed at least strange to their neighbors. Today people look less and less at other people's opinions, but a glass of good dry wine offered to a visitor is an indispensable sign of hospitality and a generous soul of a modern Bulgarian.
