The salad takes its name from the Shopi people, who live in the region around Sofia. For the Shopi, these vegetables were what grew in every garden: juicy summer tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and sweet green peppers. Adding crumbled white cheese on top was a natural next step in a country where dairy has always been important.
Shopska salad is dressed only with sunflower oil and a little salt - no vinegar, no fancy dressings. Bulgarians insist that the freshness of the vegetables and the quality of the sirene cheese are what matters most. Using ripe, in-season tomatoes makes an enormous difference to the flavour.
You will find shopska salad on almost every restaurant table in Bulgaria during summer. It arrives before the main course, like a starter, though many Bulgarians happily eat a bowl as a whole meal on a hot day. Alongside a glass of cold ayran or a piece of banitsa, it is a complete Bulgarian summer lunch.
Simple as it sounds, shopska salad has its passionate defenders. There are lively arguments about whether to add roasted peppers or leave them raw, whether the onion should be spring onions or white onion, and how finely the cheese should be grated. Every family has its own version.