The 14th edition of the traditional bacon and mulled brandy festival opens in the city of Apriltsi today, which will gather thousands of guests from all over the country.
During the two-day festival, guests will enjoy a diverse musical program and traditional local dishes prepared with bacon, explained the mayor of Apriltsi Tihomir Kukenski:
"This festival preserves the spirit of this tradition and secondly, it fills all guest houses and hotels within a radius of 40-50 kilometers."
The biggest attraction of the festival is the preparation of the "grandmother's feast", which is made with bacon, leeks and eggs.
"There will be enough. We make it in a huge cauldron that holds a thousand liters, so we hope there will be enough for everyone," says the mayor.
During the holiday, culinary competitions will also be organized, including one for the best bacon, which has been won by Stoyan Kefirov for the last two years.
"What is important is how the pig was raised, not so much the bacon. In addition to feed, the pig must have eaten potatoes and nettles, and must have been given greens, because otherwise the bacon becomes soft, nothing. After the bacon is roasted, the pieces are salted and arranged in the duck and after two weeks they are filled with brine. Nothing more. It takes between 40 and 60 days for the bacon to mature."
The Bacon and Mulled Brandy Festival opens at 10:00 a.m. Parking lots and an interactive map of the area are provided for guests. An additional pedestrian bridge has also been built.