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11 Things All Bulgarians Miss When They Move Abroad

11 Things All Bulgarians Miss When They Move Abroad

  3.5 million Bulgarians live outside of Bulgaria and around the world (for comparison, there are a little bit more than 7 million Bulgarians living in the country). Some of those living abroad have found compact Bulgarian expat communities, but even when surrounded by fellow countrymen, there are many things they miss from their homeland. Here are some of the things Bulgarians are most nostalgic about when living abroad.

The real yogurt

Bulgarian yogurt is produced by a natural fermentation process using lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, which are found naturally in Bulgaria and are used in the process of turning milk into yogurt. Every Bulgarian knows that any other yogurt in the world simply cannot be compared with their yogurt. In addition, you cannot cook a real tarator or yogurt salad with non-Bulgarian yogurt.

Celebrating of Baba Marta

Baba Marta is one of the main Bulgarian traditions , the celebration of which Bulgarians remember from a young age and always bring it with them. On March 1, Bulgarians celebrate this pagan tradition by giving and receiving dozens of red and white threads, which they tie around their wrists. It is believed that the threads, which are called martenitsa, bring health, happiness and good luck to the one who wears them.

The homemade food

Bulgarian grandmothers preserve food for the winter in jars and bottles all summer and autumn, including compotes, jams, jellies and juices. Being abroad, Bulgarians often try to reproduce this taste, familiar to everyone since childhood, and it seems that the magic ingredient - love - really exists.

Talking for hours over coffee

Coffee culture and people watching is common to all Balkans. Here everything happens slowly. You can literally chat with a friend for hours over a cup of coffee and the cafe staff will not mind. It's hard to find that kind of atmosphere when you live in a fast-paced culture.

Banitsa and boza for breakfast

While living in Bulgaria, they may not have enjoyed the traditional pastry banitsa every morning along with bose, a slightly fermented drink. But many Bulgarians miss these local favorites when they can no longer be easily obtained from the nearest bakery.

Family Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas Eve in Bulgaria is even more important than Christmas because it is the night when the whole family gets together and prepares a traditional dinner. Many Bulgarians living far away from their country are separated from their grandparents or other relatives and therefore Christmas Eve is a particularly difficult time of the year.

The tasty vegetables

The varieties of vegetables grown in Bulgaria seem to differ from those in Western Europe, Australia and the USA. Bulgarians, accustomed to the rich taste of homemade vegetables (tomatoes are a particularly hot topic), find it difficult to eat seemingly tasteless vegetables found abroad.

Be genuinely emotional

Bulgarians are frankly emotional - you can tell what they're feeling just by the look on their face. If they are happy, they express it. If they are angry, that is also easy to see. Therefore, it is difficult for them to live in countries where relations are more restrained, where it is customary to freely express neither positive nor negative emotions in public.

Dancing horo

Horo is a general term for hundreds of complex folk dances that are part of many holidays in Bulgaria. Most Bulgarians know at least two or three choirs, but these are collective dances that cannot be danced alone. You just need a few people connected together who follow the steps of the respective horo.

Shkembe Chorba

Shkembe chorba (shkembe soup) is the best Bulgarian hangover cure. Living in a country where they don't serve shkembe chorba on every corner is hard for any Bulgarian.

Swear in your own language

When you live in a country where you have to speak a foreign language, even swearing in your native language can bring you to tears. Bulgarians have an impressive kaleidoscope of obscene words that are somehow part of their national identity. Even if they use them while abroad, it's not the same when the person you're talking to doesn't understand them.


18-02-2023

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