STAGE 7

:FOOD

A C

OM

PAR

ISO

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F SPA

IN &

BU

LGA

RIA

THE MOST POPULAR MEALS

In Spain

Potato omelette

Pasta salad

Sausage

Tomato bread

In Bulgaria

Banitza

Moussaka

Tarator

Bean soup

The most popular meals are often traditional ones too.

CHRISTMAS & FOOD IN BULGARIA

According to an old Bulgarian custom, on Christmas Eve ,there should be more than seven always an odd number) lenten meals, with each dish symbolizing the household’s hopes forluck, health and happiness during the forthcoming year.

The most common dishes on the Christmas Eve dinner table are the round loaf, cabbage or vine leaves stuffed with rice, beans in a pot, stuffed peppers, pickles, pumpkin pie, banitsa, boiled wheat, stewed dried fruit (oshav), garlic, onion, honey, dried fruit, walnuts, apples, wine and traditional Bulgarian brandy - rakia. Once the table is laid and the house is being incensed the feast may begin, along with numerous predictions for the year to come. In the round loaf bread there is a hidden coin, part of an important Christmas ritual. The eldest member of the family takes three pieces of bread and sets them aside - one piece for Jesus, one for Mary and one for the household. He then breaks up the bread and gives a piece to everyone at the table. The person who finds the coini n his piece is expected to have good fortune in the next year. In some parts of the country, unmarried girls take their first piece of bread from the Christmas Eve meal and place it under their pillows, believing that they will then dream of their intended husband during the night. There are walnuts for everyone in the family on the table; to predict what the year will bring , everyone cracks one. If it is good and delicious, the year is going to be lucky; if the walnut is empty - you can expect a bad year!

Another spell for prosperity is made by the yule log (badnyak) – especially picked timber - eing put into the fire and left to burn throughout the night on Christmas Eve. It is believed that this will bring luck and make people’s hopes a reality. When the meal is over the table is not cleared until the following morning. The reasons for this tradition vary; some say it is to ensure that there will be plenty of food in the coming year, whilst others leave the food out for departed family members whose spirits may return, or for Joseph and Mary in case they stop at their home on their way to Bethlehem.

CHRISTMAS & EASTER FOOD IN SPAIN

At Easter there is a special meal and for dessert a cake decoration that brings chocolate eggs. It is usually made with chocolate figures . It is a sweet that the godfather and godmother give to the children.

In the menu of kings, we eat tapas, soup, galets (a snail-shaped pasta), roasted pig a cake. A bean is inserted into the ake and the one who finds it is king.

THE MOST TYPICAL RECIPE FROM … SPAIN

As we were given loads of recipes, we decided to choose the most famous one.

Ingredients1/2 pint of olive oil10 mussels10 clams2 oz boneless pork, diced2 teaspoons minced garlic6 oz onions, chopped fine1 medium tomato, skinned, seeded and chopped1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips32 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunksSalt and pepper to taste1 teaspoon paprika1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary1/2 teaspoon dried thyme1/4 teaspoon ground cumin24 oz lobster claws24 oz rice3 cups (48 fl. oz) chicken broth1/4 teaspoon saffron2 chorizo sausages, cooked and cut into chunks10 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined4 oz peas4 tablespoon capersLemon wedges, to garnish

PreparationScrub and clean the mussels and clams, discarding any that don't close when tapped sharply. Set aside. Heat 1/4 cup (2fl. oz) of the olive oil in a skillet. Add the pork, and brown all sides. Mix in the garlic, onions, tomato, and bell peppers, stirring constantly until cooked. Set aside. In another skillet, heat a further 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, thyme, and cumin. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, cook the lobster claws overt high heat for several minutes until its shell turns pink. Set the skillet aside. Preheat the oven to 200 ºF. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, and sauté the rice until it's translucent. Pour in the chicken broth, and combine well. Add the pork mixture, stirring constantly. Sprinkle in the saffron and continue to stir until well mixed. Transfer the rice into a paella pan. Mix in the lobster claws, chicken, chorizo sausages, mussels, clams, shrimp, peas, and capers, combining well. Bake the paella, uncovered, and on the lowest oven shelf, for around 25 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Discard any mussels and clams that have failed to open. Serve the paella straight from the pan, garnished with lemon wedges.

THE MOST TYPICAL RECIPE FROM … BULGARIA

Banitsa (say it "BAH-nit-sa", not "ba-NEET-sa") is a traditional Bulgarian dish

consumed at any meal. Here in Bulgaria, breakfast is often a pastry eaten while walking to work. If you've visited Bulgaria, you've probably seen people eating banitsa purchased from street kiosks, and you may even have tried some for yourself.

What you need:2 packets of phyllo dough (Bulgarian "fini kori" or phyllo from the frozen desserts section)200 grams of yellow cheese (Bulgarian kashkaval or a mixture of cheddar and mozzarelle)500 grams of white cheese (Bulgarian sirene or feta cheese)7 eggs100 grams of butter1/2 cup of soda water1 cup yogurt   

How to make it:Mix six of the eggs, the grated butter, the crumbled white cheese, the yellow cheese cut in small pieces, and the yogurt. In a buttered pan, lay a layer of the phyllo dough, spread a layer of the mixture, and continue alternating layers so that the phyllo and the mixture are finished about the same time. Finish with a layer of phyllo dough. Then cut the banitsa into serving pieces. Mix the last egg with the soda water and stir. Pour the mixture over the banitsa and make sure there are no pieces of the phyllo dough left dry.Bake in a preheated over at 200 C for 40 minutes, or till golden. Enjoy!

TIME FOR LUNCH ?

The Bulgaria team doesn’t have much time for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is important because the family have dinner together, usually around 8 p.m.

In Spain, they always have enough time to eat and enjoy their meals.

COOKED MEALS ? SANDWICHES ?

 In Bulgaria, they eat cooked meal mainly at dinner time. Spanish people, in general, don’t eat it, but sometimes, when they arrive home after the school, they eat a cooked meal which their parents have prepared before.

FAST FOOD ? HEALTHY FOOD ? 

For the Bulgarian people, it's great when they don't have time to make their own food. But some people try to avoid eating too much because it's not good for me. Bulgarian people think it is important. They live healthily: they try don't drink alcohol and don't smoke and they eat vegetables and fruits, but they could eat less another things.

In Spain, some people don’t like fast food and they try not to eat at places like McDonald's or Burger King because they only cook junk food. This people prefer other types of food like salads, meat, fish, pasta and vegetables. Spanish people think that they have to eat in a healthy way because it’s important to them, to their health and to their future. They eat all types of food, specially fish and vegetables and also, they do sport twice a week.

  

TABLE SETTINGS

The table settings are very similar in both countries. In their daily life, Bulgarian people and Spanish people alike use a plate, a glass, a knife, a fork, a spoon and a napkin. Depending on the meal, they use a different type of plate. The knife is usually on the right and the fork on the left of the plate. Bread, water and wine are on the table too, frequently in the center of it.

 

  FORMAL SETTINGS   In Spain, for special days or meals, they add more forks and knives and

they order them from the smallest to the biggest. They also put 2 glasses or coups, one for the water and the other for the wine. The napkin is always folded in a special shape.

FAMILY DINNER

“At my home it’s very important to stay all the family together at the table while we are eating. It is a time when we can talk about our day, our problems, and our daily life. I love these moments. My parents hate watching TV while we are eating because they think that it disturbs the moment and communication in a family is essential.”

by Julia, from Spain.

“We usually eat together only at dinner. The rest of the time , for breakfast and lunch, my family is at work. But we have dinner together, because dinner time is family time !! :))

by Ivelina, from Bulgaria.

“

:In Spain, we have four to five meals. The first is breakfast at 8 a.m. The second meal at 2 p.m., the third at 6 p.m. is a snack and dinner is at9 p.m.

by Anna Luna, Spain.

HOW MANY MEALS A DAY ?

Well, in Bulgaria, we have breakfast between 9 & 10 o`clock, lunch between 1 & 2:30. Sometimes, around 4 or 5 o`clock we have some fruit and dinner is generally between 8-9 o`clock.

by Ivelina, Bulgaria.

OUR TYPICAL BREAKFAST

In Spain, for breakfast we usually eat milk with cereals, coffee and biscuits or juice with toasts and marmalade. For lunch we do two dishes and a dessert. Frequently we eat pasta and meat or fish. For dinner we often eat salads with ham or cheese and bread. Sometimes we add meat or fish like at lunch. In Bulgaria, our usual breakfast is

coffee or tea, some juice, cookie and may be sandwiches.

LUNCH & DINNER …

In Bulgaria, for lunch , there may be salad, soup or chicken meat with garnish. At dinner we like to eat home-made dish, like moussaka, gyuveche, some soup, salad again and may be something for drink (whisky, a brandy) :))

In Spain, or lunch we do two dishes and a dessert. Frequently we eat pasta and meat or fish. For dinner we often eat salads with ham or cheese and bread. Sometimes we add meat or fish like at lunch.

PARTY FOOD

At a Spanish party , it’s common to put a lot of dishes in a table and then people take whatever they want. The dishes are often ham, cheese, prawns, bread, croquettes, smoked salmon, scallops, foie gras…

At a Bulgarian party we serve French fries with chicken meat or meatball, kebapche with salad again. Or we also serve only sandwiches, cake and juice . It depends how old you are.

The End