Seven things you didn’t know about Bulgaria

Seven things you didn’t know about Bulgaria:

1.   Bulgarian Yogurt: known in Bulgaria as kiselo mlyako. The country’s long and affectionate relationship with yogurt dates back to the Thracians, ancient: inhabitants of Bulgaria when stock-breeders placed sheep’s milk in lambskin bags around their waists and fermented yogurt using their own body heat. Even the word ‘yogurt’ is said to derive from the words for ‘thick’ and ‘milk’ in ancient Thracian. But being credited as the inventor is not Bulgaria’s only source of yogurt pride: it is credited with producing the healthiest yogurt in Europe, thanks to a unique bacteria native to the country.

2.   Bulgarian Honey: Bulgarian honey is famous worldwide for its nutritional and remedial properties. It’s one of the unique things about Bulgaria and terms like “divine elixir”, a “magic of Nature” are often associated with Bulgarian honey. But the significance of this wonder product is much more because of is advantages and it has been used in Ancient East people for its nutritional qualities.

3.   Bulgarian Wine: Those with a taste for the other fine things in life might associate Bulgaria with wine growing. Bulgaria is one of the oldest yet most up-and-coming winemaking regions in the world. Before the fall of the Iron Curtain, all wine produced in Bulgaria went to Russia. Today however, premium wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah as well as the indigenous Mavrud are beginning to emerge into the world market.
Bulgarian Rose Oil: The famous Bulgarian rose-oil, produced in the region of Kazanlak is a component of French and other world-famous perfumes. This rose oil is used in many countries for production of perfumes. You can visit Kazanlak the rose region in May and June to see the most beautiful roses in Europe.

4.   Bulgarian Forests: The Bulgarian forests account for a third of Bulgaria’s land area. The forests of Bulgaria have inestimable global, national, regional, economic, ecological and social importance. Though small in area, Bulgaria ranks third in Europe in biodiversity, with a number of rare and endemic species. More than 700 brown bears, 1,000 wolves, golden jackal, wild cats, common otters, souslik and 37 species of reptiles can be found here, many of which have disappeared from other parts of Europe. In order to protect this diversity, three national parks, 10 nature parks, 55 reserves and 35 maintained reserves have been established.

5.   Bulgarian opera singers : Bulgaria is known for its opera singers. The famous opera bass-singers (Boris Christov and Nickolai Guaurov) and the beautiful soprano Raina Kabaivanska are Bulgarians nationals.

6.   Bulgarian opera singers : Bulgaria is known for its opera singers. The famous opera bass-singers (Boris Christov and Nickolai Guaurov) and the beautiful soprano Raina Kabaivanska are Bulgarians nationals.

7.   The Rila Cross: The Rila Cross is one of the many unique things in Bulgaria which is a must see when travelling to the country. It’s a wooden cross with 140 microscopic scenes from the Bible featuring more than 1,500 figures; the largest of them is no bigger than a grain of rice. It was carved by the monk Raphail, with a pin on a piece of linden wood for 12 years until he became blind. The Rila Cross can be found in the Rila monastery museum.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 5:10 am and is filed under Local Bansko News. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.