It was still dark outside, but instead of hearing birds chirping, I awoke that morning to the click and clack of pans. I didn’t mind. It meant that my grandma was busy in the kitchen, cooking banitsa ...

This savory Bulgarian pastry, known as banitsa, is made here with spinach and feta filling. The more I travel, the more I realize that food influences move across borders with astounding efficiency.

NEW YORK—Food is memory. For me, a Bulgarian expat living in the U.S., certain foods conjure up a country an ocean away. I vividly remember my paternal grandmother’s red peppers stuffed with rice and ...