Bulgarian lamb soup, lamb steak ... All can be served in picturesque areas from Bulgaria.
Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi are two of favorite locations, firstly because they are situated at 187 km from Bucharest, so at two hours and a half from the capital of Romania, and secondly for the picturesque places and the great traditional cuisine they have.
Veliko Tarnovo is a city located in north-central Bulgaria, the former historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, with a unique architecture. Restaurants in Veliko Tarnovo serve International, Mediterranean, European cuisine, but they have traditional menus in which lamb meat predominates.
Arbanasi is a traditional mountain village, UNESCO site, located at 4 km away from Veliko Tarnovo, (is one of the villages loved by the former communist leader, Todor Zhivkov). Arbanasi has a large hunting area and a summer palace, now used as a hotel. The two cities have an excellent gastronomy, which includes a wonderful roast lamb, cooked in a stone oven.
In Melnik, a village in southern Bulgaria, wild boar steak with vegetable garnish and red Melnik wine is a specific hunting dish, served at mehane inns) specific to the traditional Bulgarian villages. In Bulgaria, the relief being predominantly hilly-mountainous, there are many traditional villages with specific architecture and traditional gastronomy.
I recommend Hadji Nikoli Inn from Veliko Tarnovo and Izvora Inn from Arbanasi.
