Bulgarian bros, behold, I'm trying your zacusca today!

The lutenitsa has a strong taste, which overpowers the taste of the cheese. On the other hand, the saltiness of the cheese makes the lutenitsa taste blander than it is, because it disguises the taste of the vegetables and herbs in the lutenitsa. Bread with lutenitsa is tasty enough, and so is bread, tomatoes and cheese. No need to combine lutenitsa with cheese.

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BamBumKiofte23@reddit

That's too many words used to affirm "defective tastebuds" /jk

Joking aside, I'm definitely in the "two tasty things make something twice as tasty when combined" group. It's not that I do not enjoy simpler stuff, but given the choice between (say) a cacio e pepe or a pasta alla norma I'll choose the second one every time, and maybe add some fried bacon bits on top just to piss off the Italians.

Like... salt and fat make things taste good? I can't fathom how a salty cheese might make a vegetable spread blander, to me it brings out even more flavor.

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eastern_petal@reddit (OP)

I have to agree with you. I'm very sensitive when it comes to mixing cheese with other foods. Don't start me on the cheese and meat mix, my mind totally refuses to acknowledge it as an edible mix.

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master-overclocker@reddit

gif

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BRM_the_monkey_man@reddit

vo*, unflaired cigan

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master-overclocker@reddit

Sestrica ti e cigan ...

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phobug@reddit

The picture is pretty but impractical you’ll make a mess eating that. Just have lutenitsa, chese and bread on a plate and put a scoop of lutenitsa on the edge of bread, a piece of cheese on that and byte the entire thing off so it doesn’t get on your mouth.

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PVanchurov@reddit

You know what, I'm going to start putting even more lyutenitsa on my bread.

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phobug@reddit

Be my guest brother, it’s not for me to judge how you enjoy lyutenitsa. I was just making a point of practicality for the Romanian OP.

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CyberWarLike1984@reddit

Butter?

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Pretend_Pomelo_6893@reddit

Yep always a lil butter before lutenica and then chease and on top some samardala

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

Romanian bros, does zacusca mean something else in Romanian also. It means literally breakfast in Bulgarian.

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SneakyInfiltrator@reddit

In Romanian it's only the paste/spread.
In Russian, "zakuski" basically refers to a lot of types of snacks/bites, as long as you can fit them on a platter and serve to guests, it works.

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

Zakuska is the only Bulgarian word for breakfast. I doubt that you have borrowed something from Russia. They call peppers that are used in that product Bolgarskii peretz.

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Burtocu@reddit

Meze(mezel, mezeluri) is used like you say but it only refers to various types of processed meats like salam, parizer, kaiser, carbasan

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

As I can understand, you might be very surprised with some words in neighboring countries. For us meze can be a salad or cheese, depending on the drink. And cheese is sirene, which seems mean mermaid in your language. We have similar word, though, it's sirenA.

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Burtocu@reddit

For us sirene is the plural. Sirena is the singular for mermaid

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geo0rgi@reddit

Sirena also means mermaid in Bulgarian tbf, also means those horns they use for announcemnts, forgot the name in english

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Burtocu@reddit

In romanian its sirena as in siren(air raid siren) for that "horn" If you can call it that way

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Darkwrath93@reddit

In Serbian we have meze, but we also use zakuska as a synonym (appetizer, starter meal - also predjelo). It can also have the same meaning as in Russian. Breakfast is doručak

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

We say предястие for appetizer, similar to your predjelo, I guess. French word for appetizer (ордьовър) is also used sometimes.

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Panceltic@reddit

Zakuska in Slovenia is like a small-ish celebratory meal, usually for many people. Such as when coming home from a long day of work in the fields or something like that, or to celebrate finishing a large task.

Breakfast is zajtrk, or colloquially fruštek

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Darkwrath93@reddit

Yes, it can also mean that too

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cameliap@reddit

And in Bulgarian, the word that has the same meaning as "zakuski" in Russian is "meze", which I've never thought about but I strongly suspect is a loan from Turkish.

In both Russian and Bulgarian the respective word has a verbal form, one of the meaning of which is to eat some of said zakuski/mezeta alongside drinking your vodka/rakia.

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Cefalopodul@reddit

Zacusca in Romanian is the thing in the picture. Basically vegetable paste.

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XRaisedBySirensX@reddit

Looks like заморская икра.

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StormrageBG@reddit

Random romanian guy in Varna at the summer holidays:
- What do you have for breakfast?

Waiter in broken english:
- Today for zacusca we have liutenitsa with sirene.

Now all Romania call it zakuska cos he don't remember the hard Bulgarian word liutenitsa :D

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Cefalopodul@reddit

Why would bulgarians eat mermaids though (sirene)?

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-Against-All-Gods-@reddit

Since they're seafood they are okay to eat on Fridays.

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StormrageBG@reddit

Just try lutenitsa (zakuska) with sprinkled sirene on top (white Bulgarian cheese), thank me later... (From the creators of shopska salad) :D

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

How do you say breakfast? For us that thing is lutenitsa, as it's written on the label up there.

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timisorean_02@reddit

Breakfast=Mic Dejun

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Stealthfighter21@reddit

That sounds like taken from French petit dejeuner

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hotsection42@reddit

It is, actually

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Key_Information3273@reddit

мик дежун :)

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

That helps, thank you. Otherwise I can read it like миц деюн.

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EleFacCafele@reddit

Breakfast in Romanian is "micul dejun"

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PoliticalWaxwing@reddit

Breakfast would be "mic dejun".

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Odd-Musician-4631@reddit

That's not a paste, it is more like a very thin vegetable stew!

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NeaTitiDeLaCroitorie@reddit

I was in Burgas a few years ago. One morning, I went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The waitress didn't speak English and asked me, "Zacusca?" I was so hungry that I was delighted when I thought she was offering me the zacusca i knew from Romania, but instead, I received an omelet and hot dogs. I was so disappointed. I craved the vegetable paste :(

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Antique_Ad_9250@reddit

Considering the word consists of "za" (за) and "kus" (кус) the original meaning could have been "something for eating with a spoon".

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eastern_petal@reddit (OP)

Damn, I was almost proud of my Bulgarian skills! At least I've learned something new today.

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

That's very important word, brother. Glad to help.

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Dear-Ad1582@reddit

You infidel!! Mici always, always with Mustard and bread... Not like Serbian savages with Ajvar and onions and kaimaj... Cevapi are good that way, but Mici is always like that... And beer too.

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RegionSignificant977@reddit

Forgive my ignorance.

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Dear-Ad1582@reddit

You are forgiven! Thou shall not sin again.

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Express-Hearing3333@reddit

Macedonia makes the best one in all balkans

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mamlazmamlazic@reddit

You have ljutenica too. Congrats on great taste Bulgarian bros

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bostanite@reddit

As a Greek with close ties to Romania I have to say Bulgarian lutenitsa is on a different level compared to zacusca, except when the zacusca is homemade. But then again I haven't tried homemade lutenitsa.

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geo0rgi@reddit

Homemade liutenitsa with vegetables grown in the garden made in the peak of summer is just a whole other level

Shame not many people do this anymore, but it used to be kind of a tradition to make a bunch of liutenitsa around this time of the year

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eastern_petal@reddit (OP)

This one tastes ok, but I have to find one yet that beats my mom's zacuscă.

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bostanite@reddit

Eeee evident. Homemade zacusca is something else

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ve_rushing@reddit

I prefer Deroni to Velika., not to mention they produce a bigger variety of products.

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Ok_Deal2442@reddit

You picked probably the best possible brand. So if you don't like it, don't blame the brand. It means you simply dont like лютеница.

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christiannmch@reddit

That's Romanian writing on the label

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eastern_petal@reddit (OP)

So what's that supposed to mean? It's made in Bulgaria.

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christiannmch@reddit

It is? I mean, interesting

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eskasy@reddit

Lutenitsa! My gf would kill and die for it. Tried once, was succesfull.

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vbd71@reddit

Perfect way to get rid of annoying gfs?

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SolidaryForEveryone@reddit

Man I love lütenitsa, it's the perfect breakfast ingredient

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Glatzial@reddit

Oh you mean Bulgarian pesto 😁 joke aside - that's one of the good brands you can buy from the store. Generally look at the ingredients - the real thing shouldn't have potatoes in it. Enjoy.

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