Bulgarians have been Europe’s gardeners longer than you think
Doing Europeans’ dirty work ever since the Ottoman Empire
IF YOU ARE enjoying a succulent piece of fresh fruit in Europe this summer, the chance is high that you have a Bulgarian to thank for it. Every year tens of thousands of workers from the eastern Balkan country fan out to pick, pluck, dig and water on farms in Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and elsewhere. When covid-19 shut borders this spring, western European farmers panicked, and governments rapidly surrendered to their demands to let the Bulgarians in.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Constant gardeners”
Europe August 29th 2020
From the August 29th 2020 edition
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