Romanian cuisine

Romanian gastronomy is a very rich, highly developed branch, which over the years has gathered a lot of elements, both native and borrowed from other nations. When it comes to Romanian culinary customs, each geographical area has its own traditions, and these are especially manifested around Christian holidays, when most people prepare selected dishes.

Thus, around Christmas, Romanians have the habit of preparing pork roast, sarmale, sausages, and cozonac and pie, items which are not missing from any of our homes.

The traditional pig cutting

Pig slaughtering is one of the oldest Christmas traditions in Romania. The Romanian families who still keep the tradition usually slaughter the pig on December 20, the Ignat Day, in their backyards. Pork is the main meat Romanians eat on Christmas, as it used in many dishes and Christmas products, such as different types of sausages, piftie, steaks, sarmale, caltabos, or even soup.

Caltabos

Caltaboș / chișcă - a cooked sausage made from minced pork organs and rice, onions, herbs (like dill) and spices, stuffed in a pig's casing.

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Mamaliga

Mămăligă - cornmeal mush, also known as Romanian-style polenta. It can be served as a side dish or form the basis of further dishes, such as mămăligă cu lapte (polenta with hot milk), bulz (baked polenta with Romanian sheep cheese and sour cream), mămăliguță cu brânză și smântănă (polenta with telemea; Romanian cheese similar to feta) and sour cream), etc.

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The same happens in the case of the Easter holidays, when housewives prepare lamb loin, lamb soup, cozonac, mucenici, pasca and of course the indispensable red eggs, these being a custom from ancient times not only in our country.

Mucenici

Mucenici/sfințișori - sweet pastries (shaped like "8", made from boiled or baked dough, garnished with walnuts, sugar, or honey, eaten on a single day of the year, on 9 March).

Eating habits in Romania

In addition to the culinary traditions that make their presence felt around the holidays, Romanians have a special style of eating. In this sense, breakfast in Romania largely contains vegetable spreads and sometimes eggs accompanied by salami or ham. At lunch, the meal is rich, often containing 2 or 3 courses: soup or “borș” as the first course, then pork, beef, chicken or lamb with various side dishes, and for dessert Romanians prefer cakes or pies, also prepared in their own home.

Zacuscă

Zacuscă - vegetable spread consisting of roasted eggplant, sauteed onions, tomato paste, roasted red peppers, and many other ingredients, cooked for a long time at a small temperature.

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Borș

Borș is fermented wheat bran, a souring agent for “ciorba”. Borș is also used today as a synonym for ciorbă, but in the past, a distinction was made between borș and ciorbă (acritură), the souring agent for the latter being the juice of unripe fruits, such as grapes, mirabelle, or wood sorrel leaves.

Speaking in general, however, Romanians are used to utilizing tarragon, thyme and garlic when it comes to spices, and a special position in Romanian cuisine is occupied by dessert, represented by jams, papanasi, cozonac and pasca around the holidays. Also, wine is the drink appreciated by most Romanians, who consume it to a fairly large extent and Tuica.

Cozonac

Cozonac is a sweet bread made with nuts, poppy seeds, or rahat (Turkish delight).

Papanasi

Papanași - a kind of doughnutmade from a mixture of sweet cheese, eggs, and semolina, boiled or fried and served with fruit syrup or jam and sour cream.

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The Sarmale

A representative element of the Romanian gastronomy is the sarmalute, which together with the cream and sometimes the mamaliguta enchants most of the foreigners who come to visit our country.