Say “TA-RA-TOR”
Text by Kalina Yankova
This man was very lucky. If they weren’t taken over by a blinding euphoria, the game’s winners would have ripped him apart. To insult the Bulgarians’ tarator is like offending the Scots’ whiskey or the Russians’ literary talent.
Tarator is Bulgaria’s default summer dish and that is probably why so many people assume they can prepare it well. What is served in restaurants, however, is often very far from the truth. Despite the mass conviction, including that of the German journalist, tarator in fact contains not two, but nine, ingredients.
It is prepared as follows: shake up energetically and for a long time half a litre of yogurt. Then, add between 300 and 500 mililitres of water by pouring them into the yogurt with a powerful spurt, so that the mixture is stirred even better. One of the biggest horrors of good housewives is getting lumps in the yogurt. But what is more of a challenge is getting the perfect consistency which can only be accomplished with practice, as the yogurt’s thickness always varies.
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Curiosity Chest
Romania
Electric Candle Is Fine, Online Blessing - Not
Sound blasters and electric candles, that are switched on by dropping a coin, have long infested Christian churches around the world. Yet virtual prayers and blessings remain controversial practice to religious communities. Lately the dispute surfaced in the Balkans.
Full Story
Useful Reads
Greece
In Sfakia: Passing Time in the Wilds of Crete (2008) | By Peter Trudgill
Crete has long been acknowledged as one of the most singular and unique parts of Greece. Its people keep a fierce hold on their traditions, customs and history. Practically a country of its own, this vast island looms over all others in Greece. Nevertheless, as In Sfakia author Peter Trudgill aptly notes in his preface, “some parts of Crete are more special than others, and Sfakia, on the remote south coast, is certainly one of those.” Full Story
Music
Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity
"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story
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Photogalleries
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A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs
