Kebapche
Kebapche (Bulgarian: кебапче, plural кебапчета, kebapcheta) is a Bulgarian dish of grilled minced meat with spices. The meat is shaped into an elongated cylindrical form, similar to a hot dog. Typically, a mix of pork and beef is used, although some recipes involve only pork. The preferred spices are black pepper, cumin and salt. Kebapche is a grilled food. It is never fried or baked.
Kebapche is essentially the Bulgarian equivalent of Serbian ćevapčići, but there are some noticeable differences: a single Bulgarian kebapche is much larger and better shaped than a ćevapčić. As a consequence, whereas ćevapčići are eaten in portions of 5–10, a standard meal of kebapcheta consists of 1–3. A typical addition to a kebapche meal are chips (French fries), often covered with grated sirene (fresh white cheese similar to feta); lyutenitsa is also a good side meal. The expression a three kebapcheta with sides (тройка кебапчета с гарнитура, troika kebapcheta s garnitura) is particularly well-known. The preferred drink to go with a kebapche is beer.
The word kebapche is derived from kebab, the name for a variety of Eastern meat dishes. –che is a diminutive Bulgarian neutral suffix, i.e. a "little kebab". A dish similar to kebapche and often combined with it is kyufte, which is often the same in terms of meat and spices but round-shaped. It often includes onions and parsley, which kebapche does not.
References
- "Кебапчета" (in Bulgarian). Любими кулинарни рецепти. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- Elenkova, Rada (2008-03-20). "Kebapche and Kyufte, please!". SoSofia.com. Retrieved 2008-09-27.