A Short Introduction to Bulgarian Sweets

As Christmas was drawing closer Susanne and I had the great idea to go without the usual Amazon gifts last year and instead we sent each other our favourite sweets from our home countries. 

So, I received a package including a bunch of Austrian deliciousness and chose some of my favourite Bulgarian treats to send her. Of course, when she asked me to write a guest post about them, I was more than willing to do so and introduce the whole world to my favourite sweets. The package included a bunch of wafer bars, lokum (which you may also know as Turkish delight) and different dessert bars.

There were three different kinds of wafer bars: a plain one, including only wafer and milk chocolate, one with an additional peanut topping and one with a peanut topping and orange flavour. The first two ones are the classics, which my family, friends and I have loved and enjoyed all our lives, so of course, they couldn't be missing in the package.

The last wafer bar was a new one I discovered at the supermarket and tired for the first time myself. Let me tell you, it’s incredibly delicious. It’s called Chernomorets (= from the black sea), which is next to the name of a town on the coast of the black sea, also the name of chocolates with the same flavour of chocolate, peanuts and orange.

If you’re asking yourself what all those flavours, chocolates and wafers have to do with the black sea, like I did, the answer is absolutely nothing. The reason for their name is simply that they’re being manufactured in Burgas, a city on the coast of the black sea. The wafer bars in general are some of my absolute favourite sweets, because you can have them at any time of the day, share them with friends and just have a delicious sweet snack. 

Now, lokum or Turkish delight may sound familiar to you, if you’ve read or watched “The Chronicles of Narnia”. There, a boy gets addicted to some enchanted Turkish delight, which leads to the events of the first part of the series. The treat itself is a jelly made of starch, sugar and different flavour.

The flavour I chose to send Susanne was rose, or as the package says “flower”. I chose it, because roses are typical for Bulgaria, they’re grown in different areas of the country and we have a huge cosmetic industry using rose oil and rose water for a variety of products. You’re also very likely to find rose lokum in baked goods at Bulgarian bakeries. Not to forget, I always have a box or two (or three…) at home as an emergency dessert. So, I thought, rose lokum is the best choice for sharing a piece of Bulgaria with my friend. 

The other dessert bars I sent were all childhood favourites of mine. Balkan is a sponge cake filled with cocoa crème and covered in chocolate. It is an absolute classic among Bulgarians, since it’s been around forever.

Even my dad loved it as kid and he has passed his sweet tooth and especially the love for this treat on to me. 

Everyday is similar to what you may know as s’mores, consisting of a marshmallow crème between two cookies and covered in chocolate. It’s very practical for a small snack in between, super soft and absolutely delicious. 

Medenki (med = honey) is what the name says it is: a small honey cake covered in chocolate, so… you could even say it’s healthy. Medenki has been my best friend’s and my favourite snack when we’re out and about since we were allowed to go out alone and what’s better than to share it with an international friend. 

Those are just a few of the treats I make sure to enjoy and take along with me whenever I visit Bulgaria. They remind me of my family and friends and are incredibly delicious on top, what more could one ask for?! And as far as I know Susanne enjoyed most of them just as much. So, if you ever happen to be in Bulgaria and want a sweet snack, you know what to look for now.