December 1, 2025 
2 mins to read Moving abroad is an experience that will stick with you for the rest of your life. You have to adapt to a new environment, a new culture and a new language. But sometimes even the smallest things can surprise you. Amanda moved from Norway to start living and working in Sofia, and she found out about one particular thing within the culture there. She tells us all about it:
“When I moved to Sofia, it felt like a place somewhere between Norway and southern Europe. Some things reminded me of home, while others felt more like being on holiday. Bulgaria is developing quickly. English is improving, the country is joining the Eurozone, but at the same time there are still challenges like recycling and bureaucracy. But the biggest cultural surprise for me was something very simple: bread.
In Norway, bread is everyday food. Practical, filling, and something we sometimes can take for granted. In Bulgaria, I discovered a completely different bread culture. Their famous pastry, banitsa, is everywhere. It’s sold in small street shops, bakeries, and even by private sellers. It’s a staple, just like in the rest of the Balkans, where everyone is disagreeing about who made it first.
What surprised me most, though, was the respect Bulgarians have for bread. I learned that bread is never thrown away. Even the smallest piece is valued. It’s seen as something meaningful, connected to tradition, hospitality, and gratitude. Coming from Norway, where a dry loaf could end up in the bin sometimes a bit too easily, this made a strong impression on me.
This difference taught me that food can carry deep cultural meaning, and that we can learn from the Bulgarian way of treating even the most ordinary things with respect.”
Amanda’s story shows that even a simple thing can be the key to learning something about another culture. Do you also want to experience the bread culture of Sofia? Read more on the page we wrote about the capital of Bulgaria.
