Overview

• The late-summer event in the Rhodope Mountains features folk performances as visitors sample yogurt and cheeses from local producers, many of whom speak some Chinese.
• Chinese travel to the village has continued since the bacteria transfer, with the resulting Mosilian brand now sold in most Chinese supermarkets.
• Prof. Penka Petrova of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences says Lactobacillus bulgaricus and other regional strains support immunity, longevity and overall health.
• Early work by Stamen Grigorov and Élie Metchnikoff helped establish a scientific narrative linking Bulgarian yogurt to longer life.
• Local makers use cow and sheep milk, noting that taste and texture shift with the seasons under traditional methods.