Meat and meat dishes in the Bulgarian menu. Vegetarians, close your eyes!

The most beloved Bulgarian dishes, of course, are from meat! In tourist areas and major cities, the menu is usually translated into English. But if you decided to go deeper into the country and try authentic Bulgarian cuisine, you will have to understand the names, ingredients and ways of cooking meat dishes just to order exactly what you want.

So, the next, now "meat", series of tips from Barcafe.bg

Types of meat that you can buy, cook, order in a restaurant and try in Bulgaria:

Bulgarian/Translit.	English
Агнешко месо/Agneshko meso	Lamb
Говеждо месо/Govezhdo meso	Beef
Диво прасе/Divo prace	Wild boar meat
Еленско месо/Elensko meso	Venison
Месо от заек/Meso ot zaek	Rabbit meat
Месо от щраус/Meso ot shtraus	Ostrich meat
Патешко месо/Pateshko meso	Duck meat
Пилешко месо/Pileshko meso	Chiсken
Пуешко месо/Pueshko meso	Turkey meat
Свинско месо/Svinsko meso	Pork
Телешко месо/Teleshko meso	Veal
Шилешко/Овнешко месо /Shileshko/Ovneshko	Mutton

We also list the names of parts of the carcass, so that you know for sure which of them is in your plate:

Bulgarian/Translit.	English
Бедра/Bedra	Chicken thighs
Бут/But	Back leg/Chicken leg
Бъбреци/Babrertsi	Kidneys
Воденички/Vodenichki	Ventricles
Врат/Vrat	Neck meat
Гърди/Gardi	Brisket/Chicken Breast
Джолан/Dzholan	Pork shank
Език/Ezik	Tongue
Кайма/Мляно месо/Kaima/Mlyano meso	Minced meat/ground meat
Каре/Kare	Carre, loin
Клъцано месо/Klatsano meso	Chopped meat
Крилца/Kriltsa	Wings
Плешка/Pleshka	Front leg/Shoulder
Ребра/ребърци/Rebra/rebartsi	Ribs
Рибица/Ribitsa	Fillet, loin
Сланина/Slanina	Lard
Сърца/Sartsa	Hearts
Уши, крачета, опашка/Ushi, kracheta, opashka	Ears, hooves, tail
Филе, бонфиле, контрафиле/File, bonfile, contrafile	Fillet
Черен дроб/Cheren drob	Liver
Шкембе/Shkembe	Tripe

It is also important to know how the ways of cooking your favorite fillet or meat on the bone are translated. So, meat can be:

Bulgarian/Translit.	English
В гювеч/V gyuvech	In an oven in a ceramic pot named "gyuvech"
Варено/Vareno	Boiled
Във фурна/ V furna	In the oven
Задушено/Zadusheno	Stewed
На плоча/Na plocha	On the brazier
На сач/Na sach	In an oven in a low ceramic form for baking named “sach”
На скара/Na skara	Grilled/BBQ
На тиган/Na tigan	In the frying pan
На чеверме/Na cheverme	On the spit/roasting-jack
Панирано/пане/ Panirano/pane	Breaded
Пасирано/Pasirano	Pasted
Печено/Pecheno	Baked
Пушено/Pusheno	Smoked
Пълнено/Palneno	Stuffed
Пържено/Parzheno	Fried

What are the names of meat dishes you can find in the Bulgarian menu? There are a lot of them, some of them have historical roots, and some appeared thanks to the imagination of the chef of a particular restaurant. Let’s take a look the most traditional Bulgarian/Balkan:

Bulgarian name/Translit.	Ingredients (English)
Гювеч/Gyuvech	A kind of stewed and then baked meat with vegetables and spices, cooked in gyuvech
Кавърма/Kavarma	Stew meat with onion, paprika and spices, cooked in an oven in a gyuvech
Капама/Kapama	Meat stew with fresh or sour cabbage
Карначе/Karnache	Homemade thin sausage, fried or baked. Usually rolled up in a ring for easy roasting in a frying pan
Кебап (кебапче)/Kebap (kebapche)	Meatballs in the form of sausages, usually grilled
Кюфте/Kyufte	Roundlet meatballs, usually grilled
Мусака/Musaka	A dish of stewed meat, onions, potatoes, which are then poured with a mixture of eggs, yogurt and flour and baked in the oven
Наденица/Nadenitsa	Homemade thick pork sausage, fried or baked
Плескавица/Pleskavitsa	Large flat cutlet from large-chopped beef or pork with the addition of spices or cheese. A dish of Serbian cuisine.
Пържола/Parzhola	Chop, fried piece of meat or poultry without bone
Руло (рулца)/Rulo (rultsa)	Rolls
Сач/Sach	A kind of stewed and then baked meat with vegetables and spices, cooked on sach
Сърми/Sarmi	Cabbage or grape leaves rolls stuffed with minced meat
Ущипци/Ushtiptsi	Small meatballs with minced meat and spices or cheese, grilled
Чорба/Chorba	Chowder, kind of soup. Usually before this word put the name of the main ingredient of the soup. For example “Shkembe Chorba” – Tripe chowder.
Шиш (шишче)/Shish (shishche)	A small shish kebab from pork or chicken cooked on a grill
Яхния/Yahniya	Stew meat with beans or rice in thick tomato sauce

We hope that our tips will help you better navigate the menu in Bulgarian. The above dishes you can try in any of the restaurants of the national Bulgarian cuisine, which are called "mehana". For your convenience - the best mehanas in the country on this list.

Tip: Select your city in the side filter and write the secret word "mehana" in the search bar.

Bon Appetit!