Tanya Matanova
Papers of BAS, Humanities and Social Sciences
Vol. 2, No 3-4, 2015
ETHNOLOGY
BULGARIAN RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS IN GERMANY AND THE USA AND THEIR FUNCTIONS AS MIGRANT INSTITUTIONS
Tanya Matanova
Abstract: This article is focused on Bulgarian catering establishments as shops, cafés, restaurants, etc., opened by Bulgarian migrants in Germany and the USA. On the one hand, they satisfy the food nostalgia of the Bulgarian migrants caused by the phenomenon of food conservatism. On the other hand, as places for communication they contribute for the social networking of the Bulgarian migrant community. Furthermore, as migrant institutions they bring to the table Bulgarian food outside Bulgaria and together with the interior (and sometimes with the exterior), the Bulgarian music and the used Bulgarian language they contribute for the preservation and maintenance the Bulgarian cultural heritage. The menus of the restaurants are analyzed to see which categories of Bulgarian catering establishments there are in the USA and Germany and which Bulgarian dishes and specialties are offered to the guests.
Key words: Bulgarian restaurants, shops, food nostalgia, Bulgarian migrants