Gastro tour “Wine, Sakar and Svilengrad malebi – unexpectedly good combination!”

At 7 o’clock we leave Plovdiv and head to the Sakar. We visit the world’s tallest statue of the Holy Mother of God with the Infant, the Alexander Tomb – one of the largest and most interesting discoveries of Bulgarian archeology with its unique artistic decoration and architecture, the Mezek tomb – one of the largest in Europe and the longest in our country. The tomb was discovered by chance in 1931, and shortly after its discovery, archaeological excavations began under the direction of Professor Dr. Bogdan Filov and Dr. Ivan Velikov. The mound of the tomb became known years earlier. In 1908, a bronze sculpture of a wild boar was found in its upper embankment. At that time, the village of Mezek has located within Turkey and for this reason, the bronze boar is now part of the exposition of the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul. The land of the village of Mezek officially became Bulgarian territory in 1912 during the Balkan War. A replica of the bronze boar can be seen today on the village square.

In the vicinity of the village of Mezek rise the remains of a medieval Byzantine fortress from the end of the XI century. It is the best-preserved defense facility in the Rhodopes. The fortress had the functions of a border guard fortress. It guarded areas between the rivers Maritsa and Arda. Some historians believe that this is the fortress of Neutzikon known from written sources, and other scholars believe that this place was the fortress of Versinikia, near which in 813 Khan Krum defeated the Byzantine troops and conquered Thrace.

We continue to Sheynovets peak, which plays an important role in the history of Bulgaria. Here, where before 1912 the border between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire passed, on October 5, 1912 the first battle between Bulgarian and Turkish border guards took place, in which the Bulgarian command quickly managed to take the Turkish post and capture the border ridge Forest. An event that marked the beginning of the Balkan War. In the afternoon we go for lunch and wine tasting in the wine cellar “Katarzhina”, and in the evening we stay in Svilengrad, where we can see the Old Bridge on the river Maritsa, built-in 1529.

After breakfast, we visit the Holy Trinity Church (1834) and the Red School (1871) and go to a tasting of the famous Svilengrad Malebi. For a century now, the City of Silk has kept the secret of this ancient, velvety-tasting cake. Today, only one family knows the secret recipe and continues its production. In the family confectionery workshop, outsiders are not allowed, and photos are not allowed, because the recipe, technology and production facilities are part of a deeply kept secret. The participants in the gastro tour “Wine, Sakar and Svilengrad Malebi – an unexpectedly good combination!” will be dedicated to it.

The recipe for the delicate dessert was brought from the Arab world to the City of Silk at the beginning of the last century by Georgi Karageorgiev, who was an apprentice in the sugar workshops in the Middle East. The Malebi started to be produced in the Pchela confectionery of Mustafa Pasha from Svilengrad. The shop became a hit and lasted until September 9, 1944. His sons mastered the craft, and then kept the recipe secret for their heirs. After trying the famous dessert, we will see an ancient stone installation, which was once used to grind rice flour – the main raw material for Malebi.

In the afternoon we visit the rock church in the village of Mihalich and the Tower in the village of Matochina. The church is believed to have existed since the 10th century. It is said that the water that flows along its walls is healing and can cure a number of diseases. The amazing rock church is a cultural monument of national importance because of its unique architecture – the ancient holy monastery has a complex, three-sided shape, which on the Balkan Peninsula is found only in buildings known in ancient times and churches in early Byzantine construction.

The tower in Matochina is one of the best-preserved in our lands. In 1205, on April 14, the Bulgarian troops together with the Kumans were led by Tsar Kaloyan. Our army is fighting the knights of the Fourth Crusade. The place is Adrianople, today’s Edirne. The commander of the Latin troops was Emperor Baldwin of Flanders. After a heavy battle, he was captured and taken to the capital, Tarnovo. Before he got there, however, he spent the first few days in the tower of the fortress of Bukelon. To this day, it rises to a height of 18 meters.