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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

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