site.btaExhibition Explores History of Food and Drink in Bulgaria from 1878 to the 1990s

The State Archives Agency is staging an exhibition about the history of food and drink as part of Bulgaria's development from the Liberation from Оttoman rule in 1878 to the 1990s. Visitors can see how food was made and sold, dining and serving customs, the most popular restaurants and cafés, and the favourite dishes of well-known public figures.

Тhe exhibition, titled "Food and Drink of the Bulgarians: From the Oriental Table to the Canteen", will run between May 17 and June 6 in the gallery at 5 Moskovska Street in Sofia, and is part of the European Night of Museums on May 17.

After the Liberation, Bulgaria underwent a culinary revolution. In the early years, table manners were loose: at the first royal ball in January 1880, guests "cleared out the buffet with incredible speed," historian Konstantin Jirecek recalls. At the second ball, politician Marko Balabanov reportedly ate an entire pike on his own. However, banquet culture soon became more refined, even among provincial bureaucrats, who began hosting elegant lunches and dinners. In towns along the Danube, black caviar, roast chicken and sturgeon with mayonnaise became standard. Drinks included vodka, cognac, wine and soda.

Austrians, Czechs and Italians brought European serving etiquette to Bulgarian cities. Waiters in Viennese-style restaurants like the Panach, the Bulgaria, the Red Crab beer hall, and the City Casino were trained professionals. These establishments offered goulash, beefsteak and tournedos, and wines both local (from Kyustendil, Karabunar and Stanimaka, today's Asenovgrad) and imported (French, Tokaji and Moselle). Cafés served Viennese-style Kapuziner coffee, pastries, strudel, ice cream and liqueurs. In wealthy homes, samovars introduced by Russian officers and Bulgarians who had studied in Russia were used alongside Bohemian crystal, Meissen porcelain and English silverware.

During the reign of Ferdinand I between 1887 and 1918, lavish tables were in vogue. A state dinner menu on November 20, 1898, consisted of 11 courses, including salmon trout, Toulouse-style turkey fillets and pheasants with truffles.

Aristocratic dinners involved up to nine different wine glasses. One cutlery manufacturer of the era offered 146 types of cutlery, from olive spoons to turtle forks. Under Ferdinand I's son, King Boris III, state dinners were reduced and fasting was strictly observed. Unlike his father, Boris never overindulged.

The most iconic establishment of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom was the Tsar Liberator Café near the Russian Church. Its habitués were literary and artistic celebrities. Opened in 1908, it remained an artistic salon until its closure in 1947. Patrons included writers, artists and scientists such as Elin Pelin, Sirak Skitnik, Assen Zlatarov, Yordan Yovkov, Elisaveta Bagryana, Ivan Milev, Iliya Beshkov and Svetoslav Minkov. The building was demolished in 1977.

During the socialist period, the food culture was transformed: scarce goods like bananas and oranges were only available under the counter or at New Year. Coffee beans, often of Vietnamese origin and known for their unpleasant aroma, were sometimes soaked in Bulgarian brandy and re-roasted. At the same time, Bulgaria developed a powerful food industry within the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), beating other socialist states to begin Coca-Cola production in 1965. Even neighbouring Greece launched it eight years later.

The exhibition also tells unique stories, such as that of Stefan Todorov, founder of the Shtastie (Happiness) chocolate factory. After nationalization, it became Malchika (the nickname of Young Communist League leader Adalbert Antonov), and in 1994 it was bought by Nestlé Switzerland after a competition. Nestlé Bulgaria contributed to the exhibition Stefan Todorov's bust, commissioned by factory workers from sculptor Andrey Nikolov.

Visitors can view various artefacts, including porcelain and glassware from the collection of writer Simeon Radev and his wife, artist Bistra Vinarova.

The exhibition also invites reflection on the "archeology of the senses." We no longer know what chocolate tasted like in 1930 or the flavour of the now-lost Malaga wine from Stanimaka (today's Asenovgrad) once made by Aristidis Chorbadzhakov. Yet through personal memories and imagination, visitors can reconstruct the textures and flavours of the past. This interactive element is enhanced by over 120 unique photographs from 29 state archives across Bulgaria.

The exhibition's title is inspired by the name of the historical trade union of food and drink producers from the era of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1878-1946).

The exhibition is organized with the support of Nestlé Bulgaria and Coca-Cola Bulgaria. It was curated by Adriana Popova and designed by Ivelina Velinova.