Romanian traditional food

What we eat

• We are a Balkan country
• Our traditional dishes are similar to our neighbours’ – Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians … even Ukrainians or Poles.
• Some of the best-known Romanian traditional food specialities are as follows:

Sarmale (cabbage rolls)

• They are meat, vegetables and rice rolls, usually “packed” in cabbage leaves. It is also possible to roll the meat in grape leaves, patience leaves, or other.
• A vegan version, with only vegetables (or nuts, soy, mushrooms, others) is available for the long feast periods.
• They are a must on every holiday table – from weddings to funerals

Mici – mititei (meat rolls)

• They are similar with Balkan “cevapcici”, common in Turkiye, as well (but they don’t use pork there)
• In Romania, ”mici” are made from pork, beef (or lamb) meat, minced and mixed with beef stock, sodium bicarbonate, garlic and other seasonings
• The legend says that, around 1900, a famous Bucharest restaurant that served usual sausages ran out of sausage casins. Having a long line of clients, the chef rolled the meat with his palms and put them on the grill. It was a huge success …
• They are served with mustard – first choice for a barbecue party!

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Ciorbă rădăuțeană �(Chicken soup Rădăuți style)

• It was invented in Romania, as a variety of the tripe soup (skembe ¢orba in Turkish)
• The chef who prepared it for the first time was in search for a lighter version of this Turkish dish, very popular as well
• About thirty years ago, the soup was introduced in the menu of the ”Nordic” restaurant in Rădăuți (Suceava County) – and became famous all over the country
• It contains: chicken breast, sour cream, vinegar, vegetables and egg yolks.

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Papanași �(Cheese dumplings)

• They are a compulsory desert in all restaurant menus (because they are a very easy-to-bake dish).
• Made with sweet cheese, flour and eggs, deep-fried, they are served with forest fruit jam and sour cream
• Although considered as a Romanian traditional desert, they are similar with Polish and Hungarian deserts.

Amandina

• It is a Romanian cake, invented during the communist era (it was pretty cheap, with common ingredients).
• It contains a sponge cake, fondant, butter and cocoa powder, as well as rum flavour.
• It is very easy to prepare, to store and serve, perfect for the pastry shops.

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• We have a long inventory of dishes – meaty, vegan, everyday, festive…
• But we like to impress by filling up the table with lots of food, on every occasion