Bulgaria just won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with Dara's Bangaranga which had Vienna dancing the night away. And while the rest of Europe catches up with Bulgaria's Eurovision win moment, we'd like to suggest something: come and see what this Balkan country is actually like. Dara said in an interview that her Eurovision song Bangaranga was partly inspired by the Bulgarian tradition of kukeri (though the title means 'a joyful kind of disorder' in Jamaican patois). Kukeri (кукери) are masked costumed performers who do rituals to scare away evil spirits at New year and before Lent. After parading around the village, they gather in the main square to dance wildly and amuse people. This is just one of the rich traditions you can find in Bulgaria's mountains and villages. Why Bulgaria is more than its Black Sea resorts Bulgaria is not just Sunny Beach, or budget ski weeks in Bansko. It is one of the most biodiverse, historically layered, and spectacularly mountainous countries in the Balkans — and it is still, remarkably, underrated as a travel destination. More than 30% of Bulgaria's territory is covered by mountains, and some of the Balkans' most significant rivers run through it. Bulgaria contains 70% of Europe's bird species and 40% of its natural habitats. It is ranked third in Europe after Greece and Italy for archaeological monuments. It has more mineral springs than any country on the continent except Iceland. We are quietly delighted about that, and can be your trusty guide to making the most of it. We've started to run adventure and hiking holidays in Bulgaria in recent years, and we also offer tailor made trips crafted over the phone with real humans (us!). The country continues to surprise us. Here is what you should know before joining us: Bulgarian
Bulgaria just won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with Dara’s Bangaranga which had Vienna dancing the night away. And while the rest of Europe catches up with Bulgaria’s Eurovision win moment, we’d like to suggest something: come and see what this Balkan country is actually like. Dara said in an interview that her Eurovision song
Here at Undiscovered Balkans, we consider ourselves connoisseurs when it comes to Balkan food (see previous blog post), but Macedonian-British author and recipe developer Irina Janakievska's knowledge is unmatched. Since 2011, she's been on a culinary journey to discover the history, intricacies and origins of traditional foods found in the region for her debut cookbook, The Balkan Kitchen. Born in what's now North Macedonia (former Yugoslavia), Irina moved to Kuwait with her mother in the late 1980s to escape the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. In 2001, Irina moved to Britain to study at the London School of Economics, graduating with a Masters and securing a job as a solicitor. She left the corporate world in 2020 to pursue her passion for Balkan cuisine and train at the Leiths School of Food and Wine. Irina has since contributed her knowledge of Balkan food and culture to the likes of The Guardian, Foodnetwork US and Whetstone Magazine, among others and in 2023, The Balkan Kitchen was shortlisted for the Jane Grigson Trust Award. It landed on shelves in October 2024, so we caught up with Irina to find out more about the history behind the recipes and what dishes you should try when visiting the region. How would you sum up Balkan food in three words? Rich, vibrant, diverse. What inspired you to write The Balkan Kitchen? We can tell it was a labour of love with so many personal stories, anecdotes and photographs to accompany the recipes. After my grandmother tragically passed away in 2011, I was in her apartment in front of the bookshelf that held our family’s most treasured books and happened to pick up a copy of her 1956 edition of Veliki Narodni Kuvar (Great National Cookbook) by Spasenija Pata Markovic, with its fading olive-green cover, torn but lovingly
Here at Undiscovered Balkans, we consider ourselves connoisseurs when it comes to Balkan food (see previous blog post), but Macedonian-British author and recipe developer Irina Janakievska’s knowledge is unmatched. Since 2011, she’s been on a culinary journey to discover the history, intricacies and origins of traditional foods found in the region for her debut cookbook,
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