Hi everyone - Well today started badly. Up at 7am to meet with our Bulgarian friends for a trip to Zlataritsa for the September Soup Praznik. This is a traditional celebration in which many village ladies use every vegetable they can find in their gardens to make a huge pot of soup over a log fire. As far as I understand (someone might correct me) it was partly to do with the end of summer, like our harvest festival and partly to welcome their loved ones back from the war. I am not at my best this early in the morning and when we did not set off in the village transit van until 8.30 I was evil because I had missed my morning cuppa in bed!
However, things quickly improved when we arrived and unloaded all the traditional table with pots, plates and efemera plus bags of the vegetables. I took some of our tomatoes and potatoes ready peeled because we went last year and I knew what would be happening. Its really an amazing spectacle with everyone so happy, some in costume and some of the village offerings look absolutely amazing besides the huge vats of soup. There are speeches, folk dancing and singing and of course, the Hora where everyone joins in. Our soup tasted gorgeous and although I make a lot of soup for the winter, the Bulgarian soups taste different as do their BBQ'd kebabches which I normally don't like.
We didn't win any prizes but our chef, Ivan, got a gramota (certificate) and some cash so we all stopped off for a simple meal and a beer on the way home. Its all very friendly and after the bad start I am so glad that my hero and I were once again invited.
Tue Sep 04, 2012 2:49 pm
Oldun