2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
The Shopska salad is emblematic of Bulgarian cuisine. One of the first words that foreigners learn is the difficult to say "Shopska salad", which is traditionally the first thing they try when they come to our country.
The recipe for this emblematic salad for our cuisine is strictly established. Shopska salad is prepared from tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, roasted or raw peppers. The top is sprinkled generously with grated cheese and parsley, and seasoned with salt, vinegar and oil. Impressive is the fact that the Shopska salad has the color of our national flag.
In some recipes, the ingredients vary. Chopped cheese, olives, garlic or hot pepper can be added to the Shopska salad instead of grated.
The unique taste, which is obtained by mixing the otherwise contrasting flavors of vegetables, onions and cheese, is appreciated both in our country and in our neighbors, and beyond. Variations of the Shopska salad can be found in Greek, Czech, Hungarian and even American cuisine.
The history of the Shopska salad began not so long ago. This star on the menu is quite fragile. Since data on it are not found in any ancient cookbook, it can be assumed that it appeared around the 60s of last century. As strange as it is, its beginning is not set in any village - it has appeared as a product of the Bulgarian state association "Balkantourist".
At the beginning of the 20th century, Bulgarian farmers were not particularly fond of ripe red tomatoes and used them mainly as a raw material for making green pickles. Ripe, red tomatoes, on the other hand, were used mainly for animal feed or ended up in the garbage.
A similar fear of ripe tomatoes prevailed both in Bulgaria and in most countries of Western Europe in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark, for example, tomatoes were considered poisonous. There is nothing unusual about this.
It turns out that tomatoes really caused stomach upsets and mild poisoning. The reason for this, however, was the metal containers with a high lead content, which were then widely used for food. The acid in tomatoes allowed them to release harmful substances.
However, the name of the salad does not come from the fact that the shoppers are the first to afford to cut fresh tomatoes in the salad. Known for their conservatism, they could hardly afford such freedom. It turns out that an unknown master from the empire "Balkantourist" decided to name the new invention "Shopska salad" because of the white thick tablecloth of grated cheese, resembling the Shopska hat.
Despite the modest historical age of the Shopska salad, it is one of the most incredible examples of a successful combination of flavors. It quickly became something characteristic and intimate Bulgarian.
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