Vidin, Bulgaria

Vidin Home-Hosted Cooking Demonstration

The Fine Art of Bulgaria’s Celebrated Banitsa Pastry See how Bulgarians live; learn to prepare the beloved banitsa, and how the diet here helps some locals live to 100. This morning, drive with your guide to a home near Vidin, where your hosts will greet you with freshly baked traditional round bread. Relax, get comfortable and look around the house and garden. Then, head to the kitchen to see how Bulgaria’s banitsa is prepared, and try preparing it for yourself. This phyllo pastry, a central part of family celebrations, may be prepared with spinach, cheese, grated pumpkin or whatever ingredient is on hand. Often, the baker inserts a lucky charm into the dough before cooking so it can be discovered with much surprise later. As your banitsa cooks, you can sample the local yogurt and learn to curdle your own. Locals love yogurt in Vidin, and they claim it is why so many of them are centenarians. * Easy - Walking portions are generally over easy surfaces with few steps or inclines. Total time walking or standing is normally not longer than 1.5 hours.