When I think of Bulgaria the first things that come to mind is its reputation for Black Sea beaches popular with Russians and budget skiing.

Bulgaria borders Romania to the north along the Danube, and is separated from Serbia and North Macedonia by mountain ranges. To the South East it borders Turkey and is strategically important as Europes main overland connection to Turkey. One other claim to fame is that Bulgaria is home to The Stone Desert, Europe’s smallest desert.

Bulgaria is the EU’s poorest country and  had the dubious honour of being ranked as the most corrupt country in the European Union in 2018. This isn’t Bulgarias biggest problem though. It has the fastest shrinking population in Europe and is projected to lose 23% of its population by 2050.

Even though Bulgarians may be rapidly emigrating, they’re leaving behind Shopska, or Bulgarian salad. It was recently awarded the best dish in Europe in a contest organised by the European Parliament. Don’t they have parliamenting to do?

Bulgaria’s other culinary claims to fame are its unique yoghurt and the fact that in Soviet times it was the forth largest exporter of wine in the world. Nazdrave!