Bulgarians are increasingly willing to try new flavours, claims Frenchman Benoit Garbolino

published on 6/12/25 12:00 PM

Photo: Facebook /Benoit Garbolino

27 years separate Benoit Garbolino from his decision to follow his heart's call and leave France to live in Bulgaria. The reason is his wife Siyana, whom he met in the French medieval town of Chambley-Bussières, where they studied law. In Bulgaria, the Frenchman founded a company in which he offered legal services, but shortly before the end of 2024 he decided that cooking was his true passion and dedicated himself to it:

"I love good food and good wine, so I decided to organize culinary events. Initially, I started working in a company that imported wine from France and other countries, but since we didn't get along, I went my own way. I started organizing private parties with my friends, at which I cooked typical French family recipes," Benoit told Radio Bulgaria.

Veal fricassee - this is the culinary surprise that Benoit prepared for the first private party he held here. The recipe is popular:

"Real veal is pink, not red, and comes from animals that are up to a certain age. A broth is made for the dish, which contains garlic, cloves, onions, leeks and carrots. They are boiled with the meat, which is together with the bone, for 2-3 hours. When the meat is ready, this broth is filtered and a béchamel sauce is made from it. It goes very well with rice and good wine. Perhaps this is the recipe that made French cuisine famous all over the world."

The number of guests at private events is usually between 20 and 35 people. "I offer myself," says Benoit with a smile. "We eat good food, we drink good wine." And the conversations have no specific topic:

"We talk about everything and the idea is to gather around good food. People can't choose it in advance, I offer three dishes that they can try. I've made salads with Alpine cheese, chicory with walnuts and bacon - delicious things that are very different from what Bulgarians like to eat."

However, the French chef thinks that Bulgarians are not conservative about different tastes and are increasingly willing to try new things:

"Conservatism among Bulgarians is more about the preparation of food itself. About what we need to know to prepare a good dish, we need special recipes that we keep in books."

"Is there anything tastier than a Bulgarian tomato, with garlic, with cheese, with a good Bulgarian brandy?" Benoit asks rhetorically. The Bulgarian summer cuisine, moussaka, roasted peppers, "fantastic vegetables and fruits" - all this makes the Frenchman feel good here.

Recently, the Frenchman has started importing oysters - although they are still a rather little-known product in Bulgaria, they are held in exceptional esteem in his homeland. Their value there is between 6 and 10 euros per kilogram, while in Bulgaria the price in a restaurant reaches 12 leva per piece.

"I love good things!" - says our interlocutor and quickly specifies that in order to find a good product you need to know where to buy it.

"There are many farms in Bulgaria that offer good products. They may be more expensive, but they're worth it," admits Benoit and advises us. "Don't go to the local pub to drink beer, but rather buy such products and cook at home. You'll see that you won't be far from your necessary budget."