Bulgarian Herbs and Spices - Savory

Since I intend this blog to focus on Bulgarian cuisine, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to talk a bit about popular Bulgarian herbs and spices.

Today I decided tell you about a herb called savory. You might have heard of it – you might have not – but I can assure you that any dish flavored with it will have a lovely taste and aroma.

Savory is an annual plant with lilac tubular flowers that bloom in the northern hemisphere from July until September. It favors bright light, but is very forgiving as far as soil is concerned. In case you wish to grow your own savory I recommend buying seedlings, because the seeds are tiny and difficult to handle.

The fresh savory leaves contain large quantities of vitamin C and carotene, in case you’re wondering whether it’s good for you or not. Herbalists also use them to treat high blood pressure, headaches, vertigo, indigestion and common colds.

As a herb savory has a pleasant if strong (though not pungent) aroma and a slightly peppery taste. It is suitable for flavoring all sorts of dishes – from beans, lentils, cabbage and potatoes, to cheese, all sorts of meats, minced meat and eggs. It is immensely suitable for foods that are difficult to digest, such as beans, lentils and peas. Most Bulgarians can’t imagine beans without savory, as it suppresses any unfortunate bloating provoked by that particular ingredient. Personally, I use savory in anything and everything we cook - it is an incredibly versatile herb that can lift the flavor and aroma of any almost any dish. An ancient Roman favorite, in the Middle Ages savory was even used to flavor desserts.

Savory can be used both fresh and dried. The dried version is an ingredient in another extremely popular in Bulgarian herb and spice mixture called “colorful salt”. It usually contains salt, savory, hot and/or sweet paprika, ground black pepper, fenugreek and thyme in any and all combinations that you can think of, with only the savory as a base. Indeed, the colorful salt might not actually even contain salt at all!

As a matter of fact, colorful salt or even dried savory alone sprinkled on a slice of fresh, warm bread covered with butter is a popular light snack at any time of the day. I will give a more precise recipe for the colorful salt once I have also talked a little about fenugreek, as it is another popular but local Bulgarian herb that requires, I think, a little explanation before usage.

Bulgarian Potato Moussaka

Moussaka is a traditional Balkan and Mediterranean dish, although the different regions (and countries) have different takes on it. Here I am offering you a recipe for the traditional Bulgarian potato moussaka.

Ingredients:

1kg potatoes

1kg fresh tomatoes or 800g canned chopped tomatoes

700g minced meat (turkey or a mix of beef and pork, beef alone is far too lean)

3 large onions

2 carrots

100ml vegetable or sunflower seed oil       

150ml water

1 tablespoon of paprika

Black pepper

Parsley or basil

Salt

For the crust

2 large eggs

400g unflavoured Greek yoghurt

3 tablespoons of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Peel and chop the onions and the carrots to small pieces. If you

are using fresh tomatoes submerge them in boiling water for a 10-15 seconds, then peel them and cut them into small pieces. Chop the parsley or basil.

2. In a large pan sautee the chopped onions in the oil until they turn translucent. Add the carrots. Sautee them together until the carrots soften a little. Add the minced meat and fry it until it falls apart in small pieces. Season with the salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Clear a small space on the bottom of the pan and add the paprika. Let the paprika fry for less than a minute (do not overfry as it will turn bitter!). Mix it with the rest of the ingredients and quickly add the tomatoes. Put the lid on the pan and let the mixture boil for another 10-15 minutes.

4. In a separate bowl mix well the eggs, flour and the Greek yoghurt.

5. Pour the tomato and minced meat mixture in a suitable baking dish. Add the chopped potatoes. Sprinkle the basil or the parsley. Mix well. Add the water. Bake in a preheated 200 degree Celsius oven until the potatoes have cooked through and the mixture has a nice thin crust on top of it.

6. Right before you pour mixture of eggs, yoghurt and flour, add the teaspoon of baking soda to it. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the already baked potatoes. Bake until the top is golden to golden brown.

Serve with each portion several spoons of thick Greek yoghurt or sour cream.