Tarator
Cold yogurt soup with cucumber
Think of it as: Like tzatziki thinned out into a soup
A salad you drink. Summer, sorted.
What does it taste like?
Cool, tangy yogurt with fresh cucumber, garlic and dill.
SweetSpicySourSaltyFunkSmellTextureLight and crunchy
What is it?
A cold soup of yogurt thinned with water, with cucumber, garlic, dill and walnuts. In Bulgaria, the land of yogurt, it's eaten almost daily in summer.
How locals eat it
Sipped as a soup with bread for lunch on hot days. Sometimes served with ice cubes floating in it.
Watch it
EnglishTap to play (YouTube)Where is it from?
🇧🇬Bulgaria
CapitalSofia
Populationabout 6.7 millionestimate (unverified)
IndustriesFarming (roses, yogurt), IT, Metals
Famous peopleChristoArtist famous for wrapping buildings in fabricHristo StoichkovSoccer player
HelloZdravei
CurrencyEuro (since 2026; before that, the lev)
And JapanThe namesake of Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt, and home country of sumo ozeki Kotooshu.
Fun factNodding your head up and down means "no," and shaking it side to side means "yes."
The flag🇧🇬 White is peace, green is the land, and red is courage.
From Tokyoabout 9,170 kmstraight line, Tokyo to Sofia
Getting thereabout 16 hours from Tokyo (with transfers)rough guide
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeMay to June, when the Rose Festival is held, is best. Also tryShopska saladBanitsaKavarma
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeMay to June, when the Rose Festival is held, is best. Also tryShopska saladBanitsaKavarma
🇧🇬 Sounds & life in Bulgaria
ЗдравейтеHello（Zdravei）
Cyrillic
Cyrillic
Right now…
Anthem"Dear Motherland" (Мила Родино)
MusicBulgarian folk songs (women's choir) Women's choirs with a mysterious, open-throated sound
Listen on YouTube SportSoccer
Hristo Stoichkov (soccer; top scorer at the 1994 World Cup) World HeritageRila Monastery and more National animalLion National flowerRose FestivalMartenitsa (March 1, giving red-and-white charms)
MusicBulgarian folk songs (women's choir) Women's choirs with a mysterious, open-throated sound
Listen on YouTube SportSoccer
Hristo Stoichkov (soccer; top scorer at the 1994 World Cup) World HeritageRila Monastery and more National animalLion National flowerRose FestivalMartenitsa (March 1, giving red-and-white charms)
Ingredients
- Plain yogurt 400 g
- Cold water 200 ml
- Cucumber 1
- Garlic 1 clove
- Dill, a little
- Walnuts 20 g
- Sunflower oil (or olive oil) 1 tbsp
- Salt, a pinch
Can't find it? No dill? Parsley or shiso also gives a fresh finish.
How to make it (one way)
- Dice the cucumber small
- Grate the garlic and crush the walnuts finely
- Stir the yogurt and thin it with water until smooth
- Mix in the cucumber, garlic, dill, salt and oil
- Scatter with walnuts and chill well in the fridge
Get the ingredients (ad)
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