Name: Shopska salad (Plovdiv style)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 4 ripe summer tomatoes, diced; 1 cucumber, diced; 1 green pepper, diced (or roasted red pepper for the winter version); 1 medium red onion, finely chopped; 200g Bulgarian sirene cheese, finely grated; Handful of parsley, chopped; 3 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; Sea salt

The Bulgarian national salad: tomato, cucumber, raw or roasted pepper and onion, all crowned with a snowfall of grated sirene cheese. Eaten with rakia and bread.

Codified by the Bulgarian state tourism agency Balkanturist in 1955 as the national salad to promote to foreign visitors, with the colours (red, white, green) matching the Bulgarian flag. Shopska is named for the Shopi people of western Bulgaria; today it is the canonical Bulgarian opening course, eaten with rakia and bread before every shared meal in Plovdiv and across the country.

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

Pavaj ★ 4.7

Modern Bulgarian

kapana · ul. Zlatarska 7, 4000 Plovdiv

Raycho Markov sources from his father's farm 20 km outside Plovdiv; the short Pavaj menu rotates with the seasons in this Kapana neighborhood flagship.

Aylyakria ★ 4.6

Modern Bulgarian

kapana · ul. Kozhuharska 3, 4000 Plovdiv

Modern Bulgarian gastro-bar in a 100-year-old Kapana house. Banitsa, shopska and grilled meats with vegetarian and gluten-free options on offer.

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.

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.

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Shopska salad 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