After an extremely difficult and contested competition between nearly 1,500 proposals from all over the country, Lidl Bulgaria, together with Chef Manchev and Chef Shishkov, chose not one, but two products that stand out the most with their unique taste. Thus, in the spring of 2018, the smoked sausage and hot pepper jam will become part of the product line of the chain with high-quality products from Bulgarian producers "Rodna Strihaha" - so all customers of the brand will be able to convince themselves of their unique taste qualities. At the same time, they will bring their authors a cash prize of BGN 10,000.
Behind the unusual flavors of the two recipes are two ladies, each with a different story. Maria Ivanova from the village of Asenovo, Pleven region, is the keeper of a 3-century-old recipe that makes the well-known Asenovo smoked sausage. It comes from the cuisine of the Banat Bulgarians and was brought to Bulgaria nearly 300 years ago by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The sweet of hot peppers also brings exceptional pleasure to the palate - the smell creates an expectation of something s alty, then unfolds as sweet-spicy. "The secret is in the marinade in which the hot peppers are put," raises the curtain, its author Dilyana Georgieva from Burgas.
The main actors in the "Save the native taste" campaign were Chef Manchev and Chef Shishkov,who traveled all over Bulgaria to discover the most impressive native flavors.
“For us, it was an exciting journey not just through the traditions and history of Bulgarian cuisine, but also through Bulgarian folk psychology in general. Because every cuisine reflects the character of its people," sums up chef Ivan Manchev's impressions.
“It turns out that Bulgarian cuisine is an area in which we very zealously preserve our traditions and pass them on to the next generations. There is continuity, which is extremely valuable," comments chef Tanyo Shishkov.
The two say that they "met" the famous Bulgarian hospitality - everywhere they are greeted extremely warmly, with homemade bread and hot peppers. They meet many colorful people - different in profession, age and culinary preferences, but all of them united by one common cause, namely - to preserve the native taste.
