Panagyurishte-style eggs facts for kids

Panagyurishte-style eggs

Panagyurishte-style eggs (pronounced "pah-nah-GYOO-rish-teh") is a super popular dish from Bulgaria. It's made with soft, runny poached eggs, creamy Bulgarian yogurt, and a special cheese called sirene. People usually eat it warm for lunch or breakfast.

The Story of Panagyurishte Eggs

The name of this dish comes from the town of Panagyurishte in Bulgaria. But the first recipes from that town were actually quite different from what we eat today.

How the Dish Was Invented

The modern recipe for Panagyurishte-style eggs was created in restaurants called Balkantourist. These restaurants were popular during a time when Bulgaria was a socialist country. The chefs wanted to make new dishes using traditional Bulgarian foods like sirene and yogurt.

They named the dish after Panagyurishte to make it sound like it came from old folk traditions. Over time, this tasty and easy-to-make dish became a favorite in many Bulgarian homes. It's now a beloved meal for generations of families.

Old Recipes and New Ideas

In old cookbooks from the Balkantourist era, there were two main ways to make this dish. One way put the poached eggs on top of crumbled sirene cheese. The other way put the eggs on yogurt mixed with garlic.

Over the years, these two ideas blended together. Today, most people mix the sirene cheese right into the yogurt.

Making Panagyurishte Eggs

Making Panagyurishte-style eggs is fun and not too hard! Here's how it's usually done:

Poaching the Eggs

First, you need a pot of water. Add a little salt and a spoon of white wine vinegar. The vinegar helps the eggs stay together. Bring the water to a boil, then let it cool down a bit. The water should be warm enough to cook the eggs gently, but not boiling rapidly.

There are different ways to poach eggs. You can swirl the water and gently drop an egg into the middle. Or you can use a spoon to gently pour warm water over the yolk. After the eggs are cooked, quickly rinse them with cold water. This stops them from cooking more and washes away any sour taste from the vinegar. Some people even soft-boil their eggs instead, as long as the yolk is still runny!

Preparing the Base

Next, you'll mix the creamy base for your eggs. Take some sirene cheese and crumble it up. Mix it with the Bulgarian yogurt. You can also add some garlic paste for extra flavor. If you don't have garlic paste, chopped fresh garlic, baked garlic, or even garlic powder works too.

Making the Paprika Sauce

Now for the special sauce! Melt some butter in a small pan. Quickly stir in some paprika. It's important to take the pan off the heat right away so the paprika doesn't burn. If it burns, it will taste bitter.

Putting It All Together

Finally, it's time to build your dish! Spread the sirene and yogurt mix on a plate to make a "bed." Carefully place the warm poached eggs on top of this bed. Then, pour the warm butter-paprika sauce all over the eggs. You can sprinkle a little extra paprika on top to make it look pretty.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Eggs
• Bulgarian yogurt
• Sirene cheese
• Butter
• Paprika
• Fresh or powdered garlic
• White wine vinegar
• Fresh parsley or dill (optional, for garnish)