Thursday, March 12, 2015

What is From Bulgaria?

Today I wanted to write about what comes from Bulgaria.  There are some fascinating things that come out of Bulgaria that you may use on a regular basis and not even know it.


The big one is rose oil.  Bulgaria produces a large percentage of the world’s supply of rose oil.  Pure rose oil is very valuable, and very hard to produce.  There is an entire valley full of a very specific kind of rose that can be used to make one of the key ingredients in most perfumes.  If you are wearing deodorant, perfume, or cologne there is a good chance you are wearing something that began in the Valley of Roses in the heart of Bulgaria.



A lesser-known flower that also comes from Bulgaria is lavender.  Lavender oil also smells pleasant and is said to have several helpful medical benefits.  Bulgaria produces quite a lot of lavender as well.





Bulgaria is also home to wonderful produce.  Grapes grow especially well in Bulgaria and this has made Bulgaria a great producer of wine.  At a cheaper cost than many other European countries, Bulgarian wine is appreciated by connoisseurs around the world.

Finally, Bulgaria is also home to a bacteria called Lactobacillus Bulgaricus.  Generally speaking, bacteria is not seen as a good export, but in this case it is.  Lactobacillus Bulgaricus is used to make yogurt.




In fact, yogurt was first discovered in Bulgaria.  I am told that in some parts of Bulgaria you can leave a glass of warm milk on the counter and find it has turned into yogurt naturally in a day or two.

We tried this experiment in our home in Sofia.  I’m sorry to say that in our case all we managed to produce was a cup of sour milk.


There are many other wonderful products and commodities that come from our home country.  These are just some of my favorites.  And now, whenever you eat a cup of yogurt or put on some nice smelling sent, remember that you are quite likely enjoying a product of Bulgaria.