Bulgarian confectioner and Deputy Chairman of Euro-Toques Bulgaria Radi Stambolov became famous with his innovative approach. He views confectionery as an adventure which indulges the human senses. One of his latest successful culinary inventions started to gain world popularity. His sweet sushi will be part of the New Year’s Eve table in many countries, including Japan. Bulgaria is well known in The Land of the Rising Sun with its yoghurt and the talent of the Children’s Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio which held over 500 concerts there. Now the Bulgarian sweet sushi is gaining huge popularity in that country.

Just like most big things in life, everything happened as a joke, Radi Stambolov tells about his sushi adventure. Several years ago he went to the owner of a large Bulgarian fast food chain to acquaint him with his innovative food offer. “However, I felt that this man was not interested in my idea.” Later his brave idea of a chocolate sushi appeared after an accidental look at the sushi section of the food menu.

“Everything started as a joke and went totally out of control”, Radi further jokes. “Now people are waiting on a queue to get this desert, just as those who wait for one year to get an expensive hand-made car. The interest is huge in many countries. My sweet sushi became a very interesting product for many sushi restaurants and catering companies in most rich European countries. The Scandinavian countries are even ready to sell my product in their food chains. We received franchising offers from China, Macao and Lebanon. However, to be honest, the volumes necessary for the Chinese market scare me quite a lot.”

Currently the small factory for sweet sushi feverishly makes this product for the festive tables in the Scandinavian countries and Russia. The problem is that just like the classical fish sushi, everything is hand-made. However, the most serious challenge would be to find a unique technology for its production. The thin layers of dark chocolate that envelop the sweet sushi just like real seaweed must be very plastic. However, chocolate is usually firm and fragile. One would never distinguish the real sushi from the chocolate one from first glance. Radi Stambolov had serious difficulties in reaching this resemblance. The “fish” is actually substituted by white chocolate, the small “rice grains” by coconut shavings, the “black caviar” is made of the grain structure of strawberries jelly and all different colors come from the wide range of dried fruit used in this sweet sushi. Moreover, the product comes with a wonderful taste as well.

Unfortunately, chef Stambolov can not patent his invention, because patents practically do not exist in culinary. “So, my initials RS Chocolatier are what guarantee the quality of this product”, Radi further says. The Bulgarian confectioner explains his success and the achievements of his colleagues with the challenges existing on the Bulgarian market which is currently too sensitive and capricious. Bulgarian confectionery combines European and Asian traditions. It is more open for experiments, more flexible and adaptive, chef Stambolov says and adds:

“Knowing our product well, we can adapt it to different markets. Its sugar content can be reduced when the sweet sushi is made for the Scandinavian market. When we make it for the Russian market we use less fat, unlike the product made for other oriental markets. Bulgaria has gone through the following evolution over the past years: it substituted the butter cream with whipped cream, the whipped cream with curds and the curds with yoghurt, which is now very popular on the market. That is why we can offer lighter deserts which correspond to all market tastes.”

English version: Kostadin Atanasov