Eating establishments

The tavern offers traditional Bulgarian food. Tourist and organized groups benefit from discount menus and fast, quality service.

Motkovo Coffee Shop was built circa 1850 in the City of Gabrovo. During the Bulgarian Revival Era and in more recent times, coffee shops played an important socio-economic, cultural and educational role in Bulgarian history. There local men relaxed discussing global political affairs. In the 1870s, Gabrovo maintained ten coffee shops. In the courtyard of Motkovo Coffee Shop (transferred to the museum) there was a well, so that its owner could see his sweetheart every day—otherwise an issue, because women were not allowed to visit cafes. Today, at Motkovo Coffee Shop the museum's guests can taste the traditional Turkish coffee brewed on sand, homemade lemonade, white candy in water, walnut & grape must sausage, halva and other traditional dainties.

Originally, public bakeries replaced private domestic ovens and in them both pastry and various dishes were baked. At the end of the 18^th century, bread for sale was already made in bakeries. From mid-19^th century bakeries started selling topan thin loafs, simid bread and baklava. Besides, on All Soul's Day bakers made kravay buns, and pastry dolls for God forgive. The building of the bakery in the Craftsman Street was originally built in Gabrovo back in 1874—1875. Here the tradition of making simid bread has been preserved, and the nice smell of chickpea yeast is in the air every morning. The recipe for simid has Arabic origin and was imported into Bulgaria by master bakers from Macedonia. Simid is a pastry product traditionally made with chickpea yeast which adds to it a specific taste and smell. Its preparation is a very fine job—it is up to the quality of chickpeas, the ripening of the yeast that takes about 10 hours, the quality of the flour and a range of other factors. Simid is also called steamed bread, because it is left to rise in special chests—where it is steamed. Today, apart from simid, the Etar Bakery offers also homemade cheesecakes, singed bread, sesame rings, heart-cakes, strudel etc.

The first confectioners in Gabrovo—Gavril and Yonka, learned the craft in Romania. In the 1860s, as they returned to their native city, they opened, independently from each other, pastry shops for making and selling various confectionery goods. Back at that time, coffee shops offered only Turkish delight and sponge-cake but gradually, production of jam of rose petals (gyul jam), morello, orange and lemon peel developed. After the War of Crimea (1853—1856) as Albanians migrated to Gabrovo, production of halva (tahini with walnuts), boza (millet-ale) and kadaif (syrup-soaked shredded sweet) began. Today the Etar Museum confectionery uses ancient technology to make various sweets that convey the spirit of bygone times—lollipops and sugar flowers, the celebrated white candy in water, various kinds of halva and sesame sticks, sugar bars, Turkish delight, grape must & walnut sweet sausage, damson cheese, bonbons. In close proximity to the confectionery workshop is Motkovo Coffee Shop (built circa 1850 in Gabrovo) where visitors can order coffee brewed on sand, homemade lemonade and various sweet titbits.