Name: Tarator (Plovdiv style)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 500g Bulgarian yoghurt (full fat); 1 large cucumber, finely diced or grated; 50g walnuts, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped; 2 tablespoons sunflower oil; 200ml cold water; Ice cubes, salt

Tarator is the Bulgarian cold yoghurt soup with cucumber, walnut, dill, garlic and a splash of sunflower oil. The summer staple from June through September.

Tarator's roots are Persian via Ottoman Turkey, where the dish was originally a yoghurt sauce. Bulgaria's contribution was thinning it into a soup and folding in cucumber and walnut. Today it is one of the most recognisable Bulgarian dishes, served chilled to start summer meals from June through September across Plovdiv's tavernas and family tables.

4 editor picks for Tarator in Plovdiv, ranked by editorial score. All Plovdiv signature dishes · Tarator 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.

Hemingway ★ 4.5

Bulgarian

centre · ul. Gen. Gurko 10, 4000 Plovdiv

Refined Hemingway sits in a 1930s modernist building on Gurko Street. Seasonal Bulgarian and European cooking, deep Bulgarian and international wine list.

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

Tarator 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