Ekaterina Karavelova

On my first visit to the Slaveykovs' house, a short, plump woman stood before me, very neat, with a round face, heavily graying hair, and a low forehead. Strict brown eyes stared at me, short sentences came out of her small mouth. She was not talkative. When I asked Petko on my first visit to the Slaveykovs' house: "What is Grandma Slaveykova like?" He only replied: "A good Bulgarian." Few knew the "good Bulgarian," the wife of grandfather Slaveykov, and even fewer took the trouble to understand what was hidden behind her reticence and silence. I have rarely met a hardworking woman like her. The morning was devoted to cooking, because the Slaveykovs, led by grandfather, loved to eat, and they ate like heroes. I have never, anywhere in my life, eaten more delicious meals prepared by mother Irina and my own mother. And I have been to rich tables with the most exquisite dishes, but nothing has tasted as good as what was prepared by both mothers. Oh, the banitsa! In "Bloody Song" the Pench elder Divisil - in his image, speech and worldview, is strikingly reminiscent of grandfather Slaveykova, and the banitsa at the feast in honor of the Voivode was copied from the product of mother Irina, who was an incomparable craftswoman...