Despite the wide variety of confectionery products on the market, Bulgarian- made lokum (delight) and halva are often served on the table. Today we meet Maria Georgieva, manager of a company based in Bulgaria’s Yambol that produces different types of halva, lokum and fruit sweets.

"The companies that produce tahini products in Bulgaria may be counted on the fingers of one hand. We are one of them. Our family business was established in 1999. We started with the production of several types of halva," Maria Georgieva says. “The main ingredient in the tahini halva is sunflower paste. In Bulgaria, not much sesame is produced and we buy sesame from India and Nigeria to produce sesame halva.”

In recent years, there has been a trend towards healthy eating and organic foods, and tahini is part of this diet. Is Bulgaria part of this trend?

"In the recent years consumption of tahini halva has been rising, judging by our sales, so I think that the trend is also valid for Bulgaria. On the Bulgarian market, unlike the Turkish and the Greek ones, sunflower tahini halva is the most popular variety. The nougat halva contains mostly sugar and glucose, while the sunflower halva is dominated by the sunflower tahini."

All Bulgarian know well the taste of halva from their childhood. Has the Yambol company preserved its traditional taste?

"I would say that the taste has been completely preserved. We use a traditional recipe, and produce halva the way it was produced in Bulgaria 40, 50 or 100 years ago,” Maria Georgieva says. “The only difference is that the product looks has actually been improved. It is also good for children, as ground sunflower seeds are very healthy.”

Turkish delight or lokum is one of the traditional sweets in Bulgaria. Is there a difference between Bulgarian lokum and the ones produced in neighboring countries?

"I think Turkey is number one when it comes to the production of different types of lokum. But Bulgarian delight is also very tasty. When it comes to consumption of different types of lokum, we have to talk about traditions. The most preferred and sought after in Bulgaria the ‘rose lokum’ as we call it. It has the aroma of Bulgarian rose," Maria Georgieva says and adds:

“In addition to Bulgaria, we export our product to Romania and Slovenia. We hope to expand our sales in the years to come. "

English: Alexander Markov