Food Markets in Bulgaria

There are many food markets in Bulgaria, including in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Ruse. Markets are an excellent way to see the local culture and save money while backpacking. I enjoyed visiting markets in every town and city I visited while in Bulgaria.

This ranged from simple farmer’s markets selling Bulgarian fruit and veg to specialist fish markets in Varna on the Black Sea. We were travelling in Bulgaria for nearly three months and cooked over 75% of our meals. Most of these incorporated produce from the local markets.

Tips for Shopping at Food Markets in Bulgaria

Some helpful information for shopping at the local food markets.

• Paying – The local currency is the euro; in my experience, most stalls only accept cash. Most traders I came across showed me the calculator to confirm the price, which was handy.
• Weights – All produce, unless packaged, is priced by the kilo. You might need to use some nifty sign language to get the amount you need if you don’t speak Bulgarian.

Traders are there to sell, so they usually make it easy even with a language barrier.

Food Markets in Bulgaria

These are the principal markets in Bulgaria that we utilised as we travelled slowly through the country. Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv were the places that we cooked the most.

The Women’s Market in Sofia

At the Women’s Market in Sofia, you can see a snippet of daily life in Bulgaria. You can also pick up some fantastic food to cook back at your accommodation.

The Women’s Market is a great place for shopping if you are self-catering and love cooking with local ingredients. You can pick up fresh fruit or vegetables, meat, fish and a selection of herbs and spices.

There was a choice of greengrocers’ stalls selling fruit and vegetables. This included some big stalls and some from smaller independent producers. We got most of our food from here once we’d decided the menu for the day.

The wine stalls impressed me, and they had quite the choice; at some, you can also try samples before you buy. At the Women’s Market in Sofia, there were stalls for purchasing honey. You can also buy honeycombs to eat and other related produce too.

Varna Farmer’s Market

The Varna farmers’ market was mostly fruit and vegetables, and there were some good options. This included fresh herbs and locally grown vegetables. They also had stalls selling Bulgarian honey and nuts.

Varna Fish Market

The Varna fish market sells fresh produce from the Black Sea and nearby rivers. I enjoyed a variety of seafood options, including king prawns, squid and salmon. They also had other fish options, including mackerel, sardines and skate wings. The traders were friendly and seemed to enjoy showing off the catch of the day.

The Thursday Market in Plovdiv

The Thursday Market in Plovdiv has a history of over 350 years; however, it has moved locations since its establishment. Here they sell a big selection of fruits, vegetables and other food.

They also sell a selection of nuts, pulses and spices, which certainly enhances cooking options when slow travelling. You can also purchase local honey and bee produce. These, combined with local yoghurt, made for healthy breakfasts during our stay.

For main meals, I purchased meats from the various butchers. The Bulgarian butchers, who stocked pork, and the Turkish ones when I cooked lamb. I loved the vegetable stalls here and purchased whatever looked interesting for my menu plan.

Central Cooperative Market in Veliko Tarnovo

The Central Cooperative Market is just outside Veliko Tarnovo town centre. It’s a nice place with a good range of fresh fruit and vegetables. They also stocked Bulgarian honey, dried fruits and nuts.

Their apples were delicious for a snack while travelling, especially the big red ones. Also, they had a wide range of pickled goods to choose from, including various cabbages. If I were self-catering, this would have been ideal for supplies.

What to Buy at Markets in Bulgaria

From my experience, food markets in Bulgaria are useful for daily shopping while backpacking or self-catering. I love cooking in my head as I see ingredients available to buy.

Honey

Bulgarian honey is one of the best in Europe because of its diversity and climate. They have been harvesting honey since the Thracian era and thus have centuries of experience. Everywhere we’ve been in Bulgaria, they have prominently sold honey.

Bulgarian Fruit & Vegetables

The food markets throughout Bulgaria stock mostly locally grown seasonal produce. We enjoyed some flavourful onions and garlic, a base for many dishes. The staples of potato and carrot were also available at most stalls. Once we reached Varna in early spring, the delicious new potatoes started becoming available. Other vegetables we bought were peppers, courgettes and aubergines.

Apples, pears and plums were the most popular fresh fruits available. They also had options for bananas, oranges and exotic fruits.

Nuts & Dried Fruit

Throughout the country, there was also a variety of stalls selling dried fruits and nuts. I found these good additions to make the local yoghurt interesting. This included raisins, walnuts, dried apricots and prunes.

Meat

The two most predominant meats in Bulgaria are chicken and pork. You can find all possible cuts in every market in the country. I found the beef one to avoid in the country, as they apparently don’t age it, and it tasted odd to me. If you fancy lamb, this seems seasonal outside of the halal butchers’ shops.

Fish & Seafood

Fresh fish and seafood were available at both Sofia and Varna markets for me. The Sofia ones seemed to include the popular options and more salted or dried fish. As Varna is near the sea, it focused on fresh fish and seafood, including prawns and squid. Both of these also sell deep-fried fish to eat while you shop.