The last thing to go into the pan is pale and smooth. It is eggs, yogurt and a little flour, poured over potato cubes and paprika-red mince that have already baked soft in the oven. A short while later it has set into a thin lid with faint golden patches. Each square comes to the table with a spoonful of plain yogurt beside it. This is Bulgarian musaka, and it tastes of sweet paprika and tender potato, with the sour yogurt running through both the topping and the spoonful on the plate.
Potatoes Where You Expected Eggplant
In Bulgaria musaka is a fixture of home cooking. It is the pan that comes out when family and friends gather, and restaurants give it a prominent place on their menus. If you know moussaka as the Greek dish, the Bulgarian one looks like a different family at first. It is closer to a potato bake than a layered casserole. Diced potatoes, minced meat and finely chopped vegetables go into one pan together and cook in a little hot water before any topping goes on. There is more on the country's home cooking on the Bulgaria page.
The main difference is the vegetable and the lid. In Bulgaria and its neighbours, potatoes take the place of eggplant. The mince is usually pork, beef or a mix of the two. The top is yogurt or milk beaten with raw eggs, sometimes with flour added. The Greek version settled into its familiar eggplant-and-béchamel form in the 1920s. If that is the dish you want, our Greek moussaka covers it. The Bulgarian pan has no white sauce to stir. The topping is whisked in a bowl and simply poured over.
Households make it their own way. Some add dried savory and cumin to the meat. Some use fresh tomato in place of canned, or bake the pan covered for most of its time. Some keep the topping to just egg and yogurt, while others thicken it with plenty of flour. Where the Bulgarian dish first took shape is not settled. All of these kitchens share the yogurt-and-egg topping, and that topping is what marks the dish as Bulgarian.
In Bulgarian it is мусака, written musaka or moussaka in Latin letters, and the spelling mousakka turns up too. The word is usually traced through Ottoman Turkish back to the Arabic muṣaqqa'a, though other explanations exist.
Ingredients (serves 6)
The pan holds far more potato than meat, and the vegetables are there for sweetness rather than bulk. The yogurt does two jobs. Most of it goes into the topping, and a little is kept back for the table.
This dish contains egg, milk (yogurt) and wheat (flour). Check the labels on canned tomatoes and spice blends if you cook for someone with allergies.
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- Wide frying pan and a spatula
- A medium baking pan (deep enough for the potatoes, water and topping)
- Kettle or heatproof jug for the hot water
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Skewer for testing the potatoes
- Instant-read thermometer
- Oven mitts
Choosing and Substituting
The topping is half the flavor, so spend your care on the yogurt. Plain, unsweetened yogurt with a clear sourness is what you want. Bulgarian-style yogurt is the natural choice, and you can find it at Balkan and Eastern European grocers or online. Paprika should be sweet, not hot, because a full 2 tablespoons goes into the meat. Sweet paprika from the supermarket spice aisle works well.
| Ingredient | What to buy | What a swap changes |
|---|---|---|
| Minced meat | A pork and beef mix is usual in Bulgaria | All beef gives a leaner, beefier filling. All pork gives a softer, richer one |
| Potatoes | A variety that holds its shape when diced and baked | Floury potatoes break down and turn the filling mushy under the topping |
| Oil | Any neutral cooking oil. Sunflower suits the dish | Strongly flavored oils push the paprika into the background |
| Flour | Plain wheat flour | Cornstarch or potato starch is a different thickener. Keep to wheat flour |
| Dried savory (chubritsa) | Optional, from Balkan grocers or online | Adds a herbal, thyme-like note that many Bulgarian kitchens like |
What has to stay is the sour yogurt topping and potatoes that keep their cube shape. The type of meat and oil can follow what your shop sells.
Method
Do all the chopping before the stove goes on, then fry the meat. After that, most of the time is hands-off while the pan bakes in three stages. Whisk the topping during the first bake, so it is ready the moment the tomatoes have finished.
When It Goes Wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The topping sinks into the filling or stays runny at the edges | Too much water was left in the pan | Before the topping goes on, tip off the excess liquid. Next time, stop pouring as soon as the potatoes are just covered |
| The potatoes are still firm after the first bake | Too little water, or too short a bake | Keep the pan in the oven and test again with a skewer before adding the tomatoes |
| The topping still wobbles at the end of the final bake | It needs longer in your oven | Return the pan to the oven and check again until the surface holds still |
| The filling tastes flat under the topping | The meat was seasoned too lightly | Next time, season the fried meat until it tastes a little strong. At the table, salt individual portions |
The first bake is where most problems start and where they are easiest to fix. Once the topping is on, you can no longer reach the potatoes or the water.
Serving and Variations
At the table
Cut the musaka into squares in the pan. Each square goes on the plate with yogurt from the table beside it, cool against the hot topping. A shopska salad of fresh vegetables fits well alongside, or try snezhanka, the Bulgarian yogurt and cucumber salad. A Bulgarian red wine such as Mavrud suits the paprika.
Variations
- Savory and cumin with fresh tomato. Add dried savory (chubritsa) and cumin to the meat and use fresh tomato in place of canned. The filling turns more herbal and earthy, and the tomato is lighter and juicier.
- Smaller, covered bake. For four, use 2¼ lb (1 kg) of potatoes. Bake covered at 375°F (190°C) for 40–45 minutes, then uncovered for 20–25 minutes, with a topping of 2 eggs and 7 oz (200 g) yogurt and no flour. The topping comes out thinner and softer.
- Thick floured topping. Whisk 2 eggs with 1¾ oz (50 g) flour and 10½ oz (300 g) yogurt and bake at 355°F (180°C) for 20–30 minutes. With much more flour, the topping bakes up thicker and firmer.
Frequently asked questions
What size baking pan should I use?
Use a medium pan, rectangular or square. The diced potatoes and meat should fill it in a layer with room above for the water to cover them and the topping to sit on top. A deep ovenproof glass or ceramic dish works as well as a metal pan. A pan that is too shallow will spill hot water on the way into the oven.
Can I use Greek yogurt?
Yes. Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt comes close to Bulgarian yogurt and works in both the topping and the spoonful on the side. Avoid sweetened, flavored or low-fat dessert yogurts, because the sourness is what the dish needs.
Can I use a green bell pepper instead of red?
Yes, it works. The red pepper brings sweetness and keeps the filling red. A green pepper gives a sharper, greener taste and a duller color, and the paprika still carries the dish.
