Cook and Eat with a Local in Sofia

My guide for the day Tsvetelina is a lovely person. We were able to explore the local shops near her home to pick up everything we needed to our meal such as veggies, yogurt, meat, cheese, and wine. I learned to make Banitsa, Shopska salad, Lukanka, and a local cheese. We had a nice conversation about traditional cooking and locally produced foods. The time we spent working on lunch went very quickly. I feel like I will be leaving Sofia with a new friend. Thank you for a lovely time. I highly recommend this experience,

We had such a wonderful experience taking this cooking class in Sofia! The class was led by two sisters who were incredibly friendly, outgoing, and welcoming from the moment we arrived. They were so knowledgeable about Bulgarian food and culture, and they did a great job making the experience both fun and educational. It was so much more than just a cooking class—it was a really special way to experience Bulgarian culture, learn about traditional dishes, and hear the stories and traditions behind the food. The atmosphere was relaxed and personal, and you could tell how passionate they are about sharing their culture with others. We absolutely loved our experience and would highly recommend this class to anyone visiting Sofia who wants to experience Bulgarian food and culture in a fun and authentic way!

This was such a stand-out experience. I met with Albena and we walked to the Women’s Market to collect items for our Bulgarian cooking class. After the market, we walked back to her apartment, where I was introduced to her sister. We made banitsa and shopska salad and we tried all different kinds of Bulgarian cheeses, dried meats, yogurt, and wine. I even had the opportunity to teach them my jam recipe with wild blueberries we collected from the market. It was such a meaningful experience and a wonderful introduction to Bulgaria. I highly recommend spending time with these women!

Me and my friend did this tour with Albena and I would really recommend it. She is very sweet and likes to explain everything about the food. First we wandered around the market and could experience the local culture. After we walked to her appartement and started cooking. There was no hurry and enough time for conversation. The food was really good and we had a great time. Would highly recommend :)))

We went to do the cooking with Albena and it was amazing! She took us to the local market to buy groceries and explain some of the bulgarian culture and afterwards we went to the house to prepare lunch together. We made a local salad, savory pastry, ate some local sausage and cheese togother with local wine and finally ate some fresh fruits we bought earlier with bulgarian yoghurt and honey. The session was really fun and calm which we really liked! Thanks you again for the great experience :))

Wonderful local experience! It’s as much abo learning about every day life in Sofia as it is about cooking.

First Beni took us to a local butcher and vegetable stand. Then Beni did a great job of teaching us how to make Moussaka, a traditional Bulgarian dish. Beni accommodated my wife’s allergies to Wheat and Dairy. While the dish was baking Beni showed us pictures and explained some of the history of Bulgaria. The best part you get to eat what you cook, so come hungry.

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My wife and I were looking for something fun and enriching to do when we arrived in Sofia before heading to Pleven. We were overwhelmed by all the choices on Viator but we knew we wanted to learn more about Bulgarian culture and the food so we chose this over the walking tours. I'm so glad we booked this tour with our hosts. We were met at the Alexander Nevsky cathedral in the center of the city where meeting up with our host was super easy. We had a good conversation where we walked to a local grocery store and back to their apartment. All together the walk was about 15 minutes and we saw some beautiful architecture on the way. The shopping experience was cool and Beni made us comfortable enough to ask any questions that I had like 'why is there so many different types of cheese here?' or 'does everyone use recyclable bags?'. It might sound trivial but being able to have a 1-on-1 conversation helped us better understand a world greatly different from ours where just about all our shopping is done in big-box stores. Next we went up her apartment and met up with her sister and Mrs. Gretta (who I found out is quite a celebrity). Our hosts were amazing and we felt right at home as if we were catching up with some friends. The entire time we were welcomed to ask any questions we had and Beni and Betty introduced us to a lot of things important to them and to their culture. The cooking lessons and enjoying the meal afterwards was truly an amazing experience, but we took away so much more from this whole experience. Their apartment was cozy, centrally located in the city, and had a view of the famous cathedral that would make people jealous. The hosts for this event are passionate about what they do and wanted us to make the most of our visit. They shared their knowledge as a walking-tour guide to tell is the best places to see after the event ended and to walk off some of the calories from dinner :).

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