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Popara is a dish made of bread and liquid, usually milk, and is found in many countries with different variations. It originated in Greece as maza and is popular in Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, Serbia, and the Mediterranean. Different recipes include feta cheese, broth, and various spices.
Popara is an ancient dish that is produced all over the world. While popara is made in many ways in many countries and has many names, a simple recipe for this dish always consists of two main ingredients – bread and a liquid of some kind, usually milk – and could include various other ingredients. Most often, the liquid is heated and then the bread is added.
It is said that the Greeks invented this dish in order not to waste stale, hard bread. In Greece, the dish has been called maza for centuries. The traditional Greek recipe for this dish includes milk and feta cheese, and red pepper is typically added. The Sarakatsán, a nomadic people of northern Greece, are said to be particularly fond of Popara, mainly due to its low waste.
Traditional popara is not common in the United States and only made its way into mainstream cookbooks in the late 20th century. A Tex-Mex version can be found in many restaurants in the southern United States, and uses tortillas instead of bread and typically features egg, bell pepper, onion and tomato. Besides Greece, popara is also common in restaurants and homes in Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, Serbia and throughout the Mediterranean.
In Turkey, this dish is called tirit and is prepared the same way it is in Greece. The Turks, however, use broth or stock – usually beef – rather than milk for their particular recipe. Tirit is made with stock, but still contains feta cheese, green onions, and parsley. In Serbia, the dish is prepared with water and lard rather than milk.
To prepare the traditional Greek maza, butter is melted in a pot and diced bread is added. This is cooked over medium heat for at least a minute. The milk is added gradually and when it reaches a boil, the feta cheese is added.
This mixture is stirred occasionally until melted. It is served with a light dusting of hot pepper. Popara shouldn’t come out sweetened but instead should have moistened the bread to make it edible.
Bulgarian-style popara is a bit different. The bread and cheese are mixed together in a bowl and the milk is added after it reaches a boil. The mixture is then covered with a plate to retain the steam and is left for five minutes. Butter is added last when the dish is almost ready.
Called migas in Spain, this dish was originally a popular breakfast dish but is now served as a main course in many restaurants for both lunch and dinner. It is typically made with olive oil, shortening or lard rather than milk. Migas often include meat, usually pork sausage.
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