Shopska salad is a Bulgarian summer salad of ripe tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and a little onion, lightly dressed with sunflower oil and finished with a thick snowy cap of finely grated sirene. The cheese stays on top rather than being tossed through the vegetables.

Traditional Bulgarian banitsa is built from thin phyllo sheets brushed with butter or sunflower oil and distributed with a loose filling of sirene, eggs and yogurt. The filled sheets are gently rolled into a round pan so the pastry stays crisp outside and tender between the folds.

Tarator is Bulgaria's cold yogurt and cucumber soup, loosened with icy water and flavored with garlic, dill, walnuts and sunflower oil. It should be pourable, chilled and speckled with cucumber and finely crushed walnut rather than thick like a dip.

Bulgarian pork kavarma is a slow-cooked dish of browned pork, onions, peppers and mushrooms in a restrained tomato, wine and paprika sauce. It finishes in covered clay pots with chubritsa, producing tender meat and a concentrated sauce rather than a broth-heavy stew.

Bulgarian lozovi sarmi are small, tightly rolled vine leaves filled with rice, onion and abundant dill, parsley and mint. They are packed snugly, weighted and gently simmered until tender, then served warm or cool with plain yogurt.

Bulgarian zelnik is a round savory pie made from paper-thin hand-stretched dough, loosely coiled around a filling of softened leeks, leafy greens, eggs and brined sirene. The baked pie has crisp, delicate layers around a moist green-and-cheese filling.

Bulgarian tikvenik is a crisp phyllo pastry rolled around a generous filling of coarsely grated pumpkin, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. The filled rolls are coiled or arranged snugly in a pan and baked until golden, with distinct pumpkin-and-walnut spirals in every slice.

Banska kapama is a festive Pirin clay-pot dish of sauerkraut, rice, pork, beef, chicken and smoked sausage layered with red wine and sauerkraut brine, sealed under a dough rim and baked very slowly. The finished dish is moist but not soupy, with tender meats and cabbage served without whole spices.

Bulgarian Garash cake is a low, elegant torte built from exactly five thin walnut-meringue discs and four dark chocolate-buttercream seams, finished with a smooth chocolate glaze and a fine green pistachio rim. It is dense and rich rather than a tall sponge cake.

Bulgarian moussaka is a homestyle bake of small potato cubes mixed throughout seasoned minced pork and beef, finished with a light yogurt, egg and flour topping. Unlike Greek moussaka, it has no eggplant and no separate potato-and-meat layers.

Bulgarian mekitsi are soft yeasted breakfast breads pulled by hand into irregular flat rounds with thin centers and puffy rims, then fried until blistered and golden. They are not doughnut balls and are served hot with jam, honey, powdered sugar or sirene.

Bulgarian lyutenitsa is a thick, spoonable preserve of deeply roasted red peppers and peeled tomatoes cooked slowly with sunflower oil until sweet, concentrated and brick red. This home-scale version is refrigerated or frozen rather than presented as shelf-stable canning.

Bulgarian bob chorba is a brothy white-bean soup built with onion, carrot, pepper, tomato, sweet paprika and the characteristic aroma of dried spearmint. The beans remain whole and creamy while the broth stays rustic rather than being blended or thickened with potato.

Bulgarian kebapche are long, narrow grill logs made from finely minced pork and beef seasoned simply with salt, black pepper and cumin. Thorough kneading with cold water and an overnight rest create the springy texture; garlic, paprika, onion and herbs do not belong in classic kebapche.

Bulgarian gyuvech is a slow-baked clay-pot meal of meat and abundant summer vegetables seasoned with paprika, parsley and chubritsa. Eggplant, peppers, green beans, potatoes, zucchini and tomato soften together around the meat without olive oil or Mediterranean thyme dominating the dish.

Rhodope patatnik is a shallow pan-cooked potato pancake bound by the starch of finely grated potatoes and flavored with onion, butter and djodjen (spearmint). Spread only about 2cm thick, it has a low profile with two browned crusts and a tender center. It must never resemble a tall cake, torte or deep casserole and contains no flour batter or cheese topping.

Bulgarian chushki burek are whole roasted and peeled sweet peppers filled with sirene, egg and parsley, then coated successively in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs before frying. The tender pepper remains visible beneath a complete crisp golden crust.

Bulgarian kyufte are flattened grilled patties of pork and beef seasoned with finely grated onion, cumin, black pepper, parsley and chubritsa. Unlike kebapche they contain onion and are shaped as patties, but they do not need egg, breadcrumbs, garlic or paprika.

Sirene po shopski is baked in individual Bulgarian clay pots: thick sirene, ripe tomato and roasted pepper are seasoned with chubritsa and chili, then an egg is cracked into each pot near the end so the white sets while the yolk stays softly cooked.

Bulgarian Snezhanka is a thick strained-yogurt salad with well-drained cucumber, garlic, dill, walnuts and sunflower oil. It is spoonable like a salad, not diluted like tarator, and is finished with finely crushed walnut rather than vinegar.