A banitsa festival is coming up in Novo Gradishte – traditional Bulgarian food

The seventh edition of the Banitsa Festival is being organized in the village of Novo Gradishte.

The organizers are the City Hall, the “Nov zhivot” PC and the “Zora 1925” NP. The festival will beon September 16 in the village centre. For another year the masters of twisted, turned and pulled buns will present their culinary masterpieces of traditional Bulgarian food.

This year’s culinary festival is competitive, and the best banitsa in two categories will be awarded – for salty and sweet.

Undoubtedly, the banitsa is one of the brightest symbols of Bulgarian traditional cuisine and spirit. And the festival in Novo Gradishte continues to be confirmed and expanded. That is because of the golden hands of the culinary experts, who proved that the banitsa still occupies a central place on the Bulgarian table.

How to participate:

If you want to participate call phone: 0878961450 until September 10 (Sunday).

We are waiting for you on September 16 (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. in the center of the village of Novo Gradishte, the hosts invite.

Come on September 16, 2023 to the village of Novo Gradishte and enjoy the culinary masterpieces created by the masters of the traditional dish.

Traditional Bulgarian food – Banitsa Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

To make your very own banitsa, you’ll first need the following ingredients:

• Filo (Phyllo) Dough – 6 sheets
• Feta – 300 grams (10.5 oz), crumbled
• Butter – 100 grams (7 tbsp), cut into tiny cubes
• Eggs – 4
• Greek Yoghurt (10%) – 150 grams (5.2 oz or roughly 1/2 cup)
• Whole Milk – 200 ml (3/4 cups and 2 tbsp)
• Sunflower Oil (or Light Olive Oil or another neutral-tasting oil) – 30 ml (2 tbsp)
• Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Mix 3 eggs, the oil, the baking soda, and the yogurt in a medium-sized bowl.

Give everything a rigorous mix, ideally with a whisk.

Once mixed, you should have a smooth, yellow-colored mixture, as shown below.

Step 2 – Add the crumbled feta cheese to the egg-yogurt mixture. We prefer getting our feta whole and crumbling it with a fork rather than buying the cheese pre-crumbled.

Step 3 – On each filo sheet, add some of the egg-cheese mixture. If using our measurements and a 9-inch pan, then use about 1/6 of the egg-cheese mixture on each filo dough sheet.

Step 4 – Add tiny cubes of butter on each filo dough sheet. Again, if using our measurements, you’ll be using 1/6 of the butter on each filo sheet. Take the short edge of the filo dough, and roll each sheet (as shown below).

Step 5 – In the round baking pan (which should be either lined with baking paper or greased with some oil or melted butter so the filo dough doesn’t stick to the bottom), add each rolled sheet (as shown below).

Repeat with each rolled filo dough sheet.

Step 6 – Mix the milk with the remaining egg with a whisk or fork.

Step 7 – Pour the egg and milk mixture over the banitsa

Step 8 – Poke holes with a fork so that the banitsa absorbs the milk better.

Step 9 – Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) and place the banitsa in the oven for about 50 minutes. Place it on a lower level so it doesn’t burn the top. Check on it from time to time.

Once ready, your traditional Bulgarina food – banitsa should have a beautiful golden brown crusted exterior. It is ready to serve to your family or dinner guests.