CONTEMPORARY PROMOTION OF BULGARIAN CUISINE ABROAD. CULTURAL ASPECTS

Abstract

The article examines strategies in promoting national cuisine by Bulgarian restaurants abroad. It is based on the author’s BA thesis defended in 2012 at the Marie Curie University in Lublin, Poland and concentrates on information about Bulgaria and its traditional cuisine, available on restaurant websites. Collected data reveals a relative lack of popularity of Bulgarian cookery in comparison to other Balkan cuisines, various levels of professionalism concerning design, photography and text information on the websites, as well as a common pattern to emphasise the ancient roots of Bulgarian culinary traditions. The most popular tendency, however, is the visual and verbal presence of folklore elements and symbols in promoting traditional Bulgarian dishes and restaurants.