Bob Chorba (Bean Soup)

Bob, pronounced ‘bop’, is centuries old soup recipe and has hugely been part of the Bulgarian staple diet, partially due to the high volumes of bean cultivation, and partly because it’s a simple, yet filling food for the table.

I’ve stuck to the ‘original’ recipe here but there are numerous alternatives on this soup: vegetables included can be changed according to whatever you have in your cupboard; choose another variety of beans; or you can opt for a meat version of pork bob chorba or slices of sausage. If you’re a vegetarian, it’s an ideal meal or accompaniment to a main, and for the budget traveler it only costs a few Lev so makes for a filling lunch.

Ingredients

3 cups of white beans, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 2 large tomatoes, 2 (bell) peppers, celery

1 chilli, tsp dry mint, tsp paprika, tsp chubritza, parsley for garnish

I also sometimes use a veggie stock cube and a lot of garlic but this is optional

Method

Depending on which beans you choose, you’ll have to soak them overnight. Drain them the next day and cover with fresh water. Slice onion, peppers, and tomatoes and add them to hot oil with the garlic, paprika, mint, chubritza and salt. Add the beans and stock and allow it to come to the boil before simmering over a low heat until its ready to eat! Crumble some sirene cheese with parsley to garnish before serving.