Masterclass: Rediscovered Bulgarian Cheeses

At this Master Class, you will have the unique opportunity to taste rediscovered and revived Bulgarian cheeses, which lift the veil to an unsuspected, until recent, richness in Bulgarian cheesemaking traditions. Tsvetan Dimitrov will tell curious stories about the cheeses and his dedicated efforts to discover, describe, and revive Bulgarian cheeses of traditional and distinctive character throughout the country.

Tsvetan Dimitrov is known for his efforts to study traditional Bulgarian cheeses. He has managed to describe more than 45 cheeses and restore some of them. He has created a network of people who research and describe cheeses in different areas of the country. One of his greatest achievements has been to activate communities that continue to make cheese in a traditional way. He was inspired by the Cherni Vit Green Cheese, which he managed to turn into a recognizable product. Over the last 10 years, he has inspired young culinary talents to present our traditional cheeses in various national and international competitions. Four years ago Tsvetan became the initiator and one of the organizers of the Homemade Cheeses Festival – a forum promoting homemade cheeses, research in cheesemaking, and sustainable development of the regions.

• The Master Class is held in English with simultaneous translation into Bulgarian.
• Price until 26 November incl.: 70 BGN. Price after 26 November: 90 BGN
• A ticket for the Master Class gives you access to all three days of DiVino.Taste. You do not need to buy a separate ticket for entry.

Additional Extras

The Master Class will feature tastings of:

Cheese in a Pitcher – It is one of the first cheeses described in literature in the late 1800s. Completely disappeared after 1990 and was restored in 2022 by Tsvetan Dimitrov and Marin Lessev.

Cherni Vit Green Cheese 150 days old

Cherni Vit Green Cheese 500 days old

Cherni Vit Green Cheese with saffron 180 days old

Cherni Vit Green Cheese with different types of black pepper

Rhodope Cheese from cow's milk, 3 years old – Made by old technology with floor salting. Long-lived and strong in taste. Rhodope people used to call it Men's Cheese because of its peppery taste and aroma.

The cheeses will be appropriately paired with wines of Bulgarian local varieties, presented by Tsvetelina Stoyanova and Jivko Enchev, representatives of the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals.