Marianna Aleksandrova - lecturer at the College of Tourism at the University of Economics - Varna, researcher, and MasterChef Season 8 winner - radiates the rare energy of someone who has discovered her ikigai where scientific precision meets culinary inspiration.
For Marianna, gastronomy does not end in the kitchen. It is a form of cultural identity, bringing together the flavours and stories of her hometown.
Yes! I hold a doctoral degree in Tourism and Economics. Science is my greatest passion - and so is cooking.
I love conducting research, analysing and collecting statistical data, and at the same time applying it in practice. I believe this sets a good example for our students, showing them how theory comes to life in real-world practice.
In addition, I am the winner of MasterChef Bulgaria, Season 8, and my final menu was based on my scientific research into local Varna cuisine, approached from the perspective of the city’s residents. This research was part of my doctoral dissertation, and I am thrilled that it came alive on national television and brought me the trophy.
Of course, I created fine dining interpretations of these dishes, presenting them as a new Varna cuisine. The response was very positive, and I even announced at the finale that I plan to write a book displaying the local Varna gastronomy.
I am a fourth-generation Varna native. My family has lived here for over 100 years, and I feel a moral duty to promote the distinctive characteristics of our city.
Varna is a unique city, mainly because in the period following the Ottoman rule, there were very few Bulgarians here - only about 1,000 to 2,000 people. Greeks, Turks, Gagauz, Romanians, and Russians inhabited the city.
The old urban cuisine of Varna was very aristocratic, largely because Prince Alexander of Battenberg built his residence, Euxinograd, here. The local residents began to emulate aristocratic customs - the way they dined, how they celebrated name days. They served dishes with European influences, such as turkey with chestnuts and sauces inspired by French cuisine.
What we now call sustainable development was, in the past, simply a way of life. Restaurants were not striving for it - they were just practicing it naturally.
Together with Varna Municipality, we run a campaign to promote Varna cuisine and involve restaurateurs in offering dishes that reflect the city’s local identity. Naturally, especially during the summer season, every small restaurant offers mussels, small fried fish, and turbot.
Turbot from our sea is different from turbot found in other seas. Due to the lower salinity of the Black Sea, the fish has a unique texture. I am a little bit sad that it is mostly served fried. Turbot requires a much gentler culinary approach.
When studying old recipes, I see that Varna locals actually did not eat fried fish very often. Frying became more common during the socialist period, when speed of service was a priority.
Our culinary history can be divided into three main periods. The first spans from the Liberation until the political changes of 1944 - 1945. This was the era of the old urban cuisine, which I deeply love and respect. I focus on promoting this historical period, which offers a wealth of forgotten ingredients and culinary techniques.
Did you know, for example, that today we consider tapioca a modern, healthy product, yet it was already on the tables of Varna housewives at that time? The explanation I received from Dr. Svetlozara Koleva of the Ethnographic Museum is that Varna is a port city. All new products, flavours, and innovations arrived here first, and from here, they spread throughout the country.
This period is paradoxical. On one hand, it witnessed tremendous achievements: a large-scale hotel and restaurant infrastructure was developed, giving a strong boost to the tourism industry and to mass dining.
The professionalism of Balkantourist is undeniable - it literally put Bulgaria on the international gastronomic map. Few people know, for example, that the iconic Shopska salad was their creation, developed right here in Varna in 1956, at the restaurant Chernomorets.
The downside is that the pursuit of ideological purity led many to reject traditional urban techniques and brand them “bourgeois.” As a result, asparagus, artichokes, and many dishes with European influence disappeared from our tables.
The old urban cuisine had been highly aristocratic. For example, green fig jam was considered the pinnacle of refinement. The desserts themselves were natural and restrained in sugar.
In our region, white wines take priority. I recommend Dimyat - a unique, endemic grape variety that produces excellent wine. It is the perfect companion for a gastronomy with history.
The questions were posed by Yulia Bahovski, founder of MyRo.Biz - an online media portal for Bulgarians and Bulgarian businesses in Romania.
