ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Residents of village of Zmeyovo celebrate pelin wine whose recipe they jealously guard

Photo: starazagora.bg

The village of Zmeyovo near the town of Stara Zagora is celebrating today, December 21, its traditional Festival of Pelin Wine.

According to an old Bulgarian custom, guests will be welcomed with bread and salt on the square in front of the community center, and over 150 amateurs will take care of their good mood with a festive program.‎


Twenty masters between the ages of 24 and 73 will participate in the competition for the best Zmeyovo pelin wine master. Some of them, together with their families, dressed in folk costumes, will be located in the community center yard in authentic corners. ‎Various commercial establishments along the main street will also fill the center of the village.‎


The Festival of Pelin Wine is dedicated to the centuries-old local tradition, which is passed down from generation to generation. The people of Zmeyovo jealously guard their secrets for making the aromatic bittersweet elixir to this day. So it remains a complete mystery exactly what herbs, besides the fragrant wormwood, the local craftsmen arrange between the layers of quinces and apples in the 200-liter barrels before pouring them with old wine. 

Those familiar with the process claim that anyone who has tried the wine elixir remains forever captivated by the sweetness that the drink leaves on the palate, the bitterness in the throat and the burning sensation in the stomach. The sips of wormwood are necessarily accompanied by thin appetizers - sausages crackling on the grill and tender pork ribs with lots of spices.


Photos: starazagora.bg

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life    pelin pelin wine village of Zmeyovo wormwood

More from category

Icons made of flowers by Antonia Mirovalieva-Bojanina decorate the St. Sophia church

On the holiday of the Bulgarian capital city on September 17, when the Orthodox Church commemorates the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia, icons made of flowers and natural materials decorated the ancient church..

published on 9/17/25 7:35 PM

Sofia – Historical routes

On September 17, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Martyr Sophia and her three daughters Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov (Faith, Hope and Love), who died a martyr’s death in the name of their faith in Christ in the 1st century..

published on 9/17/25 11:22 AM

Bulgarian school in Egypt will reopen doors on September 18 after seven-year break

The Embassy of Bulgaria in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Sudan and the management of the Bulgarian School "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Cairo invite our compatriots to the opening of the 2025/2026 academic year. The event will take..

published on 9/16/25 2:49 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 26
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 26
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 26
Partly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 25
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 14 | Max: 25
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 27
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 27
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 23
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 22
Partly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 25
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 20
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 25
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 26
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Bulgarian school in Egypt will reopen doors on September 18 after seven-year break

The Embassy of Bulgaria in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Sudan and the management of the Bulgarian School "St. Cyril and Methodius" in..

published on 9/16/25 2:49 PM

Sofia – Historical routes

On September 17, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Martyr Sophia and her three daughters Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov (Faith,..

published on 9/17/25 11:22 AM

Icons made of flowers by Antonia Mirovalieva-Bojanina decorate the St. Sophia church

On the holiday of the Bulgarian capital city on September 17, when the Orthodox Church commemorates the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love..

published on 9/17/25 7:35 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"