Mish Mash is a very easy-to-prepare traditional Bulgarian dish that makes a tasty inexpensive Keto-friendly and gluten-free meal. Easy to digest and nourishing, it’s perfect for brunch or light dinner. Back home, the dish is prepared typically in summer, with fresh vegetables, eggs and feta cheese. This jumble dish may remind you of scrambled eggs, however, for the Bulgarians, it’s much more than that! It’s everyone’s favourite summer dish.

HISTORY OF MISH MASH

The German word mischmasch has been adopted in many languages, including Bulgarian. It means a disorderly mixture of things (a jumble). In the Bulgarian language, it can be used in different contexts and commonly refers to this dish.

The concept of scrambled eggs with vegetables, on the other hand, comes from the Middle East. Western and Eastern influences often meet in the Balkans and, in this case, in Bulgaria, they were incorporated into this delicious and easy meal, prepared with accessible local ingredients – home-produced vegetables and eggs, and our famous Bulgarian feta cheese.

Another theory of the origin of this dish is that it was introduced in Bulgaria from Tirana, as a similar recipe exists in the Albanian traditional cuisine called Ferges. However, there is no clear evidence if the Bulgarian or the Albanian recipe was created first.

HOW TO MAKE BULGARIAN MISH MASH

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Making Mish Mash is quick and super easy, and even a novice in cooking can make it. In Bulgaria, we believe that there is no classic recipe for this dish. That’s why it’s called Mish Mash (a jumble). Still, a few ingredients are always present in the Bulgarian Mish Mash.

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

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Peppers: Bulgarians make the Mish Mash either with fresh or cooked peppers (grilled or baked). Always use sweet peppers. Colourful bell or long sweet peppers are perfect for the taste and vibrant appearance of the dish. You can also add a chilli pepper for some heat. In my post, Easy Marinated Sweet Peppers, I have written about the good properties of the peppers.

Tomatoes: To add natural sweetness to the dish, use ripe tomatoes. They are also less acidic. If ripe tomatoes are not available in your supermarket, I recommend buying tomatoes on the vine and leaving them out of the sun for a few days to ripen.

Eggs: It’s always best to use organic or free-range eggs. On the one hand, they are healthier for you but also taste better. Eggs, in general, are high in fat and cholesterol, however, our bodies are smart not to let cholesterol levels go up when consuming natural foods, like milk and eggs. Recent studies suggest that consuming up to 7 eggs per week reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 75%. Eggs contain all the essential amino acids that your body needs and are a natural source of vitamin D, essential for maintaining good bone health.

Onions: You can use white or yellow onions in this recipe. Onions are another good-food ingredient. They are high in antioxidants and sulfur-containing compounds. Onions are believed to have antibacterial properties and support the human gut, bone and heart health.

Feta: Feta is delicious healthy food, widely used in Bulgarian cuisine. Like yoghurt, feta is a good source of probiotics which is the good bacteria that live in our intestines and is essential for the good health of the human gut and the strength of our immune system.

Herbs & Spices: In Bulgaria, common herbs used in Mish Mash are savoury spice and/or fresh parsley, but you can use your favourite spices instead. Sweet paprika, Italian spice mix or herbs of Provance will compliment the dish well.

Oil: For the best taste and health benefits, use virgin olive oil. The ancient Greeks referred to olive oil as an elixir of youth and health. Olive oil is packed with polyphenols and is believed to support human heart and brain health, balance blood sugar and have anti-inflammatory properties. Research from 2018 suggests that extra virgin olive oil is the most stable cooking oil, resisting degradation better than oils with a high smoke point, making it a good oil for cooking.

Optional ingredients: Mish Mash is traditionally a vegetarian dish in Bulgaria, however, adding a couple of slices of smoked sausage, like lukanka or chorizo, will bring wonderful flavours into the dish. There are variations of the Bulgarian Mish Mash made with aubergines, but they are not that common.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

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STEP 1: PREPARE THE VEGETABLES

Peel and slice the onion into half-moons.

Wash well the peppers. Remove their green parts and the seeds from the peppers and cut them into chunkier cubes, but not too large. That way, they will add more texture to the dish.

Wash the tomatoes. You can dice or grate the tomatoes. Alternatively, you can use Ljutenitsa, thick tomato sauce or passata.

Break the feta into crumbs with a fork.

Beat the eggs lightly into a bowl to make sure the egg yolk is evenly distributed.

Wash and chop the fresh parsley.

STEP2: COOK THE DISH

Start by sauteing the onions for 5-10 minutes until translucent, then add the chopped peppers. Stir and saute them for about 10 minutes. Add the diced or grated tomatoes. Sprinkle the dry spices on top and stir to combine.

When the moisture in the dish evaporates, add the eggs. Stir the dish to integrate the eggs with the vegetables.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle the feta cheese on top. Stir the dish.

🍲 SERVE BULGARIAN MISH MASH

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Some like to eat Mish Mash hot, others prefer it cold which allows time for the flavours to sink in. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly cracked black pepper and serve over a slice of fresh bread or toast, with fresh salad on the side. It’s delicious!

In Bulgaria, we serve Mish Mash for lunch or dinner, but the dish will be perfect for brunch too. It’s a light dish that is great to enjoy on a hot summer day. Mish Mash can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days and is a wonderfully easy meal that you can pack in a lunch box to take to work or a picnic.

Enjoy!! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳