Though similar to feta, sirene is saltier. Therefore be careful about adding salt when cooking with sirene.

In Bulgaria, sirene is often used as a filling: 

- Banitsa with sirene
Banitsa, the queen of street food, is usually filled with sirene.

- Chushka burek
Red peppers are stuffed with cheese filling, then breaded and fried to create this summer appetizer, a must on every traditional Bulgarian restaurant menu.

- Fresh green pepper stuffed with sirene
Stuff sirene into a fresh green pepper to get this fabulously simple, delicious and super healthy summer snack. 

Or as a simple appetizer:

- Sirene baked with honey and walnuts
Another local favorite  - honey - comes into play for this interesting starter dish.

As an appetizer
A piece of sirene sprinkled with red pepper is by far the most common meze (small appetizer) in the country. As with every meze, it is usualy shared and goes hand in hand with a glass of wine or rakia, the alcohol of choice in Bulgaria.

Salad
The most popular is shopska with tomato and cucumber, but there are at least 6-7 other popular salads that include sirene.

Sirene on a crepe
To most a crepe goes hand in hand with Nutella. But have you tried one with sirene?

Katuk
Mix yogurt, cheese and walnuts - the three local culinary obsessions - to get this refreshing salad/spread.

Mishmash
Scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes, red peppers and, of course, sirene make up the summer dish called "mishmash".

French fries with sirene
Order fries (purzheni kartofi) in any Bulgarian restaurant and you will be asked if you want them with sirene. Why not?

Sirene and watermelon
If you think there is no way for the salty sirene to make it to the desert menu, think again! A slice of cold watermelon and a slice of sirene are just made for each other.