Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
My childhood memory lane goes through my tummy. There are many fond memories of my mom’s cooking, but she is no longer with us and I can’t walk on this lane again.
However, the one that I wanted to retrace was the one that will take us to the Black Sea, not necessarily to the small fishing villages that do not exist any more and the memories of which I want to keep unspoiled: small settlement, my parents buying fresh catch off the boats coming from the sea at sunrise and sunset…
But maybe in the resort towns, somewhere there will be freshly caught fish. There was fish I remember as a child that disappeared later from overfishing… and now is coming back. A few years ago, we found safrid (young horse mackerel sprats) in a Sofia restaurant.
Maybe they have kalkan – a Black Sea sub-species of turbot. I remember that delicacy, sold at small shacks by the sea. Occasionally it would even make it to my native town, to the Friday fresh fish market.
The fish with the buttons, we called it (the skin was covered with hard, rounded nodules). It was delicious. I also remember the Black Sea shark, the tsatsa, which translates as sprat (a small fish similar to smelt or anchovies), the dry fish called chiroz (usually safrid or other small fish, but also palamud (bonito)… and one that every man would fish from every corner of the sea – popcheta (goby)
Well we found all this and more in Nesebar, an ancient city and nowadays a major seaside resort within walking distance to Sunny Beach – one of the biggest resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
There is a lot of history in every corner in Bulgaria. The Old town of Mesambria was established more than 3,200 years ago during the bronze age, by Thracian settlers. These were succeeded by an ancient Greek tribe (Dorians) circa 6th century BC (you may recognize Doric columns). Then came the Roman Empire – 1st century AD. The town eventually became part of the First Bulgarian Empire in 812. The Slavic settlers named it Nesebar. The city flourished during the first and second Bulgarian Empires and declined after the Ottoman invasion in 1453. One can see the layers of history in the old ruins. The Old Town, as it is now known, was built during the revival period of the 18th and 19th centuries. New and Old Nesebar are connected by a short and narrow man-made isthmus. Nesebar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Narrowly escaping storm Ali over the UK, we boarded the charter plane to Burgas. It was full of British vacationers. The Brits were going to the all-inclusive hotels of Sunny Beach and Nesebar. Some for the weekend, some for the week.
We stayed away from the resorts. We don’t know if it’s true, but my friends had advised us not to go to Sunny Beach – it is full of drunken Brits and Bulgarian hookers, they said. I had booked a small family hotel in a quiet area of the new part of Nesebar. The owner picked us up from the airport (for a fee of course) and during the ride said something similar – “I don’t like English guests. They don’t even go to the sea. They stay all day in the pools and drink beer, because it is cheap for them. I don’t have a pool, he adds.” We can see his point.
Although not that cheap for our Canadian dollar we indulged in all kinds of Black Sea fish, including the most expensive and delicious one – kalkan. Still, with a bottle of wine the biggest bill was less than CAD $40 for the two of us. For our Canadian friends – this is all inclusive, no additional tax or tips.
The Black Sea isolation from the Oceans and its low salinity add a unique taste to its seafood. In addition, with an abundance of high mountain glacial lakes, rivers and reservoirs there are freshwater fish and crabs of high quality. If you do visit Bulgaria, ask for local seafood. Especially if you are in the coastal area. Avoid calamari, scampi or octopus. They are not native to Black Sea and most probably come from the Greek markets. Ask if the offered shark is the Black Sea one. It is different. Make sure your kalkan has the buttons on its skin (just go to a reputable restaurant or ask the locals).
Old Nesebar is a lovely little town to visit. But if you do go there, and like us are not into big, noisy resorts, there are many small hotels and apartments to choose from in some quiet areas of the New Nesebar. We are facing the water; the beach is some 200 meters away and it is quiet. We are here for just a few days and since neither I nor Alex understand the baking idleness of a day on the sands, we walk: wandering the length of the beaches, then winding our way through the small new and old towns finding local restaurants and perusing the less touristy stores. It is end of season and many places are closing. Yet air the temperature is close to 30C (and not humid) and water 26C. Not bad after our cold and rainy Scottish adventure.
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