This popular Bulgarian Cottage Cheese dip, known as Rhodope Breakfast, is wonderfully creamy and delicious. Made with cottage cheese, mayonnaise, fragrant spices and crunchy gherkins, the dip has a wonderful flavour and texture. Traditionally, in Bulgaria, we eat Rhodope Breakfast as a spread or serve it as an appetiser. The dip is a fantastic addition to sandwiches and canapes. It’s gluten-free and Keto-friendly.

WHAT IS COTTAGE CHEESE?

Cottage cheese is a cow’s milk cheese curd, created as a way to prevent wasting spoiled milk. When milk is kept for a while, it becomes sour and the only way to use it is by thermally processing it. During that process, sour milk turns into curd. The curd liquid is tasteless and cannot be used, so we drain it, but the leftover cheese can be pretty tasty with a few added spices and a little olive oil or mayonnaise. 

Unlike most other cheeses, cottage cheese does not need ageing. It has a mild flavour and a creamy non-homogenous texture.

We all know, cottage cheese is not everyone’s favourite because it lacks flavour, but when jazzed up with fresh herbs or fragrant spices, it can be transformed into a wonderful snack.

Cottage cheese is much lower in calories, compared to all other cheeses. It is perfect for people following healthy or slimming diets.

HISTORY OF COTTAGE CHEESE.

Cottage cheese is believed to be one of the oldest milk products, known to humankind since the domestication of cows. Its origins are not known with certainty, however, the earliest evidence of cheesemaking was found in an ancient Mesopotamian temple dating back to 3,000 BC. The ancient carvings in the temple describe the process of making a salty-sour cheese curd, similar to cottage cheese.

Cheese curd was mentioned in Homer’s “Odyssey”, written in the late 8th-early 7th century BC, which is clear evidence that cottage cheese was known and made in the Southern Balkans as early as the 8th century BC and likely even before that.

Milk and milk products have been a staple in the Balkan region for many centuries, and even today. We have such a rich variety of recipes made with yoghurt! You may also enjoy my recipes for Authentic Bulgarian Yoghurt Soup and The Best Greek Tzatziki.

WHERE DOES THE NAME OF THE DIP COME FROM?

The recipe originated in the Bulgarian Rhodope mountains. In the past, the Rhodopeans ate the dip for breakfast, hence the name. Rhodope breakfast is commonly served as a spread or a dip.

For those who have not heard of the Rhodopes, they are a mountainous range in the Balkans, a significant part of which (over 80%) is located in the territory of Southern Bulgaria and the remainder is part of Northern Greece. They are a place of ancient history.

According to Greek mythology, the Rhodope mountains were named after Queen Rhodope of Troy. She was a nymph, the daughter of the river god Hebros and the wife of the Kekonian king Haemus. Rhodope and her husband offended the gods, Zeus and Hera, and, as a punishment, the Gods transformed them into the Rhodope mountains. Rhodope mountains are also the home of another mythic figure from Greek mythology, Orpheus, who was a legendary musician.

An interesting fact is that this particular region has one of the highest numbers of centenarians in the world. Scientists link the longevity of the Rhodope people to their high consumption of milk products.

VARIATIONS OF THE COTTAGE CHEESE DIP RECIPE.

In Bulgaria, there are a few variations of this recipe. The original and most basic recipe consists of cottage cheese and traditional Balkan spices. Contemporary versions of the dip call for mayonnaise, olive oil, yoghurt and even sometimes butter which make the dip creamier.

Some of the recipes use minced garlic or garlic powder for piquantly. Other recipe variations call for olives, red or spring onions, red pepper or gherkins to create richer flavours and a crunchy texture.

Adding a splash of fresh lemon juice will give the dip a delightful citrusy tang.

HOW TO MAKE RHODOPE COTTAGE CHEESE DIP?

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📋 INGREDIENTS IN THE RHODOPE BREAKFAST

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Although the original recipe is made only with cottage cheese and spices, in my version, I add a little mayonnaise for a creamier texture and gherkins to elevate the flavours and improve the texture of the dip. Gherkins have a beautiful sweet and sour flavour which makes the cottage cheese dip very enjoyable and gives it a lovely crunch.

Traditionally, the spices used in Rhodope breakfast are sweet paprika, freshly cracked black pepper and savoury. They do make my dip so special!

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

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Step 1: Make the base for the dip

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Transfer the cottage cheese to a medium-sized bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. You can use full-fat or substitute it with fat-free mayo if you worry about calories.

Remove the ends of the gherkins and dice them into small cubes, then add them to the bowl with the cottage cheese.

Step 2: Add THE spices

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Using fragrant spices is very important for this dip because without them the taste will be dull. They transform the bland cottage cheese into something very exciting. Mix salt, freshly ground black pepper, sweet paprika and finely ground savoury spice into a small bowl, then transfer them to the bowl with the cottage cheese. If you find the dip a bit dry, add a few drops of good quality extra virgin oil.

Step 3: STIR ALL ingredientS

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Stir all ingredients very well to combine them into a creamy mixture. Your easy and delicious dip is now ready to enjoy!

🍲 SERVE THE COTTAGE CHEESE DIP

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Rhodope breakfast cottage cheese dip can be served as a snack, spread on fresh bread and topped with thinly sliced spring onions, chives, sliced tomato or a few leaves of fresh salad. That is how we usually eat it back home. We also serve it as a dip in mezze platters and as a side to grilled meats. This is a great and easy dip to make for barbecues and picnics.

You can create beautiful finger food bites and canapés with cottage cheese dip. Just spread it on crostini or slices of fresh baguette and decorate with slices of tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, chives or sliced olives.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳