Name: Kavarma (Plovdiv style)
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 800g pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes; 2 onions, sliced; 2 red peppers, sliced; 200g mushrooms, halved; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon sweet Bulgarian paprika; 1 teaspoon dried savory (chubritsa); 200ml white wine; Sunflower oil, salt, pepper

Kavarma is the Bulgarian clay-pot stew: pork or chicken slow-cooked with onions, peppers, tomato and paprika until the meat falls from the bone.

The dish takes its name from the Turkish kavurma (roasted meat), reflecting Ottoman influence on Bulgarian kitchens. Bulgarian villages each have a personal recipe; the clay pot (gyuvech) holds the heat and concentrates the sauce into a thick, paprika-stained gravy. In Plovdiv tavernas the pot arrives bubbling at the table with bread for mopping and a glass of mavrud red wine.

4 editor picks for Kavarma in Plovdiv, ranked by editorial score. All Plovdiv signature dishes · Kavarma across every city.

Restaurant Alafrangite ★ 4.3

Traditional Bulgarian

old-town · ul. Kiril Nektariev 13, 4000 Plovdiv

Restaurant Alafrangite occupies an 18th-century Revival house with a courtyard garden in Old Plovdiv. Traditional Bulgarian salads and meat dishes anchor.

Stariyat Plovdiv ★ 4.3

Traditional Bulgarian

kapana · ul. Frederic Joliot-Curie 6A, 4000 Plovdiv

Tucked on a Kapana side street with a shaded rooftop, Stariyat Plovdiv runs a stone pizza oven and charcoal grill alongside traditional Bulgarian classics.

Boris Palace ★ 4.3

Bulgarian and European

old-town · ul. Saborna 49, 4000 Plovdiv

Boris Palace, a Saborna Street Revival mansion turned boutique hotel, serves Bulgarian and European cooking with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Odeon Restaurant ★ 4.1

Bulgarian

old-town · ul. Otets Paisiy 40, 4000 Plovdiv

Odeon Hotel-Restaurant on Otets Paisiy serves classic Bulgarian cooking with a covered courtyard, a few minutes' walk from the Old Town's southern gate.

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Kavarma makes more sense with someone from Plovdiv explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

Book food experiences in Plovdiv

Food Walk Plovdiv: Bulgarian Food and Culture Tour

Guided tour3 hours5.0 from 21 reviewsfrom $58

Taste Plovdiv like a local, with the locals! Visit a number of different locations, each with its unique taste and significance in the history of our city and culture.

Check dates and book