Romani cuisine (Romani:Romano xabe) is the cuisine of theRomani people. There is no single "Romani cuisine"; it varies and their diet usually reflects the culinary traditions of the respective countries in which they have often lived for centuries. However, throughout their history, certain Romani dishes have emerged. The cuisine ofRomani people is often influenced byBalkan andTurkish cuisine. Traditionally, many Roma would avoid eating food prepared by non-Roma.[1]Ian Hancock dubbed it the “soul food of Europe”.[2] Romani food reflects theirnomadic lifestyle, with dishes designed to be portable and nourishing. The specific ingredients and dishes used in Romani cuisine vary significantly based on where the Roma settled and their access to resources. Historically, Romani people would eat the meat of animals that died a natural death.[3][4]
The use ofpaprika,garlic andbell peppers is common amongst Romani in theBalkans.Stews are common amongst Romani throughout Europe.[5]Potatoes are also a staple in their diet. Another traditional dish cooked by Romani people issarma,salmaia orsodmay (cabbage stuffed with meat and rice).[6] Romani people consume dishes consisting ofstuffed peppers, especially on holidays and special occasions. Romani people also cookpufe (made from fried flour),xaritsa (fried cornbread),bogacha (baked bread) andxaimoko (a meal consisting of rabbit meat). They serve their meals withkafa (coffee) andchao (tea) with sugar and milk or fruits such as strawberries, peach slices, apple slices, or lemon.[7][8] There are several spicy Romani soups.Fusui eski zumi is a Romani butter bean soup often made with ham.Pertia is a soup made with jelliedpig's feet andpig's ears. Romani stews are usually made with green and red peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, and some meat. There are a variety of stews in Romani cuisine, like one Romanichicken paprikash calledpuyo. Whole meats, like spit-roasted pigs or lambs, are commonly prepared for Romani rituals. Large hams and lamb steaks bought wholesale and barbecued with a customary hot sauce called chile mole are also eaten at Romani feasts. The fat crust of ham is many Roma's favorite part of the meat. The Roma have their own method of making coffee and tea. Romani coffee is often boiled with the groats and often dipped off the top with a spoon. At Romani feasts, sarmi, meats, hot sauces, celery sticks (often eaten by the Roma for virility), salads, pirogo, saviako, and a stew or two are usually served. Romani people only serve fruit on the table at pomana feasts.[9]
Romani food may be cooked outdoors in cauldrons atop a wooden flame.Bread forms an essential part of any meal. Romani cuisine is also, often out of necessity, inexpensive to prepare and centers portable ingredients. Potatoes, peppers, cabbage and rice are often the building blocks in Romani cuisine. Beef and pork are rare inclusions, while traditional proteins like chicken, lamb, and goat; game animals likerabbits andhares; wild birds such asquails andpartridge; andsnails are more common proteins of the Roma.[10] The Roma also consume roasted apples, almond cakes, rabbit orhedgehog stew, clay-baked hedgehog and trout, snails in broth, pig stomach, and fig cakes.[11]Rabbit stew is made with rabbit meat, innards, bacon and onions.[12] Baked hedgehog is flavored with garlic, and is calledhotchi-witchi orniglo, in Romani.[13] To prepare the dish, the hedgehog is wrapped in clay and placed on white-hot stones. When the roasting is done, the quills attached to the clay are pulled off and the hedgehog dish is served wrapped in leaves.[14]Romanichals cook with chitty irons.[15]
Due to the lack of Romanipen and assimilation to Turkish culture and Islam as religion,Turkish Roma eat chicken and eggs and have their own recipe for it which is well known in Turkey.[16]
Nomadic Roma collect youngnettles in the spring.[17]
Cornmeal is a staple for theKalderash.[18] Romani slaves were fed cornmeal duringslavery in Romania.[19] Romani people also make anunleavened bread using cornmeal mush calledankrusté flavored withcumin andcoriander.[20]
Coffee is a prized drink among Romani people. Wild fruit, berries, leafy plants and small animals formed the bulk of Romani people's diet.[21] Some Roma prepareTurkish coffee.[22]Nettle tea anddandelion coffee are also popular Romani beverages.[23]
Eggplants are cooked in tomato sauce. The Roma pickle gherkins, cabbage, beets, ripe olives and a cabbage-cauliflower mixture. The Roma also cookpogača bread. Romani people prepareborscht with beets, cabbage, bay leaves and soup bones. It is often served with sour cream and extra vegetables.[24]
Romani people pick mushrooms and berries from forests.[25]
Since their migration from India through Armenia in the 1300s, the Romani people have acquired extensive knowledge about the nutritional and medicinal properties of various natural ingredients. They have mastered the art of utilizing berries, nettles, beech leaves, and herbs in their cuisine. Living near the sea, they also gather limpets and mussels to supplement their grocery purchases, which are often funded by horse trading. In their quest for flavorful meat, the Romani people prefer geese, goats, pork, and wild salmon over beef and mutton. They have a stock of dried mushrooms that add a distinct flavor to their ragouts, while dandelion roots serve as a strong ingredient for their coffee, which is further enhanced with wild honey.[13]
The Romani people value recipes that incorporate ingredients such as butter and eggs from free-range hens, molasses, unrefined sugar, and wholemeal flour. In their cooking, they believe in using generous amounts of bread, garlic, pepper, salt, and vinegar for good luck. They also engage in hunting and gathering activities, collectingdulse, eels,sea kale, game, seabird offal, gooseberries, and mulberries to create flavorful soups and boiled puddings. A beloved recipe among children involves hollowing out a potato and filling it with elderberry jam before baking it in embers.[13]
Spanish Romani cuisine is characterized by being simple, nutritious, colorful, and spicy. Some of the most common dishes are stews, prepared in a multitude of variations (with beans and fennel, cod, etc.),gachas,flamenquines (stuffed and fried pork rolls), and so on.[26]Gitanos usechickpeas andsaffron.[27] La Cocina Gitana de Matilde Amaya is a Spanish Roma cookbook released in 2002.[28]
Joe Gray is a traditional British Romani stew that can be made with most meats; usually rabbit meat but also eels.[29] Other British Romani dishes are bacon pudding,rabbit pie andjam roly-poly pudding.[30][31] In their traditional nomadic lifestyle, the Romani people consume specific delicacies, influenced by a taboo system. In Poland, chicken has been the preferred dish among the Roma, although they also relish hedgehogs and mushrooms. In England, British Roma tend to opt for packaged food during their shopping trips, as it appears less likely to have been contaminated or poisoned by non-Roma (Gadje). In Czechoslovakia, the cuisine of most Romani families can be classified as a variant of Slovak or occasionally Hungarian cooking. However, it is noted that the majority of their meals are either boiled or served cold; methods such as baking and frying are infrequent and have only begun to gain popularity in recent times. The most common and favored dishes include boiled meats, particularly pork (balano mas), potatoes (phaba, gruli, or bandurky), and various types of 'non-powder' soups (zumin). Additionally, many families consume noodles, cabbage, pig's blood, inexpensive salami, or their traditional gypsy food (goja, stuffed intestines).[32] Romani people consider the hedgehog to be exceptionally edible, as it’s spikes provide protection against contamination.[33]
Tyúkos káposzta is a Hungarian Romani dish made with sauerkraut and hen meat.[34]Cigánytokány is made with pork and beans.[35]Bodag is a Romani flatbread that is often served with stuffed cabbage andlecsó.[36] Romani recipes are characterized by skillfully blending and mixing the gastronomy of other ethnic groups, yet their unique flavor is recognizable. Popular and traditional Romani dishes do not have a strict recipe, the list of ingredients can vary depending on what is customary, what is popular, and what they were able to obtain in a particular family. Another common characteristic is that Romani dishes are flavored more strongly with Hungarian seasoning. Besides lecsó, bodag is one of the most well-known Romani dishes in Hungary. In some places it is also called vakáro, vakarcs or gypsy bread. Bodag is a relative of the Indiannaan, the Latin American tortilla or the Turkishpita. There is a very simple version, which only contains flour, salt, baking soda and water. Bodag can be spiced up but it is usually eaten with stews and juicy dishes. Another well-known Hungarian Romani dish is kakaspörkölt. Romani cuisine is different from Hungarian cuisine because Roma use a lot of onions, fat, lots of meat, intense and spicy seasoning. Romani stews are made from any meat, including chicken, pork or groundhog meat.[37]Sah hai mas is a Romani stew made with pork, cabbage and rice.[38][39]
A popular dish among theSinti iskleese, which is sauerkraut with chicken.[40]
A traditional Romani dessert ispirogo, which is similar to Jewishkugel. The recipe consists of eggs, raisins, walnuts, pineapple, sugar, butter, egg noodles and cottage cheese.[41]
Szaloncukor is a Romani dessert that is mixed flour and sugar. The dough is made into shapes like sugar cookies, then they are baked, wrapped, and hung on a tree until January 6 for the feast of theEpiphany.
The Roma also have own version of wheat pudding forChristmas. After husking wheat, soaking the berries in water, warming them in an oven, and smashing the soft hulls with tools that were available, Romani cooks put the pudding through a sieve, then mix the remaining gelatinous substance with milk, flour, and eggs, and sweeten it with honey, sugar, or molasses. The Roma also add dried fruits, cream, butter and homemade rum or brandy to the pudding. Romani bakers place a token of good luck, which is often a silver coin, in a loaf of sweet Christmas bread or cake. Romani tradition has it that whoever gets the coin in their piece will have a good year. The dough for the cake is similar to the Balkankozunak.
Romani people also have their own version ofpoppy seed moon cake.
Plum dumplings are sweet holiday fares that demonstrate the practicality of the Roma who did the cooking. Plum dumplings are made dough of mashed potatoes, eggs, butter and salt, which are rolled out and cut into small circles. The Roma carefully place a plum, topped with cinnamon and sugar, on the dough just before they folded, sealed and boiled the dumplings in salt water. When the plum dumplings finish cooking, Romani cooks roll them in buttered breadcrumbs and sprinkle them with more cinnamon and sugar. The Roma also transform potatoes, cherries, and dried bread into desserts and treats.[42]
The Roma believe some foods are auspicious and give luck (baxt) like the Rajputs. American Roma believe red pepper, black pepper, salt, vinegar, garlic, onions and a sacrificed animal such as lamb to be lucky foods.[43] Fermented foods such assauerkraut,pickles andsour cream are also considered lucky in Romani cuisine.[2]
Romani food beliefs are rooted in theAyurveda concept of ritual purity and ritual pollution. Serving peanuts is forbidden by Romani people atpomana feasts and greens (zelenimata) cannot be eaten by Roma in mourning or when expecting a baby or breastfeeding, likely because they can induce colic.[44] Romani people believecelery promotes virility.[45]
Certain foods are traditionally consideredmarime (ritually unclean) and therefore are avoided.Horse, cat, and dog meat are forbidden.Frog meat andsnake meat are considered unlucky by Christian Roma and are associated with the Devil.Peacock meat is forbidden. Christian Roma associate peacocks with the evil eye.[46] Christian Roma tend to not eat at restaurants and avoid food prepared by non-Roma.[47] A Romani woman menstruating cannot cook or serve food to men.[48]
Although many Hungarian restaurants tend to feature Romani musicians, there is only one Romani restaurant in Hungary, calledRomani Platni ("Roma Stove") which opened inBudapest in 2012.[49] InMaribor, Slovenia, there is a Romani restaurant calledRomani Kafenava.[50] Adam Andrasz was a Polish social activist and musician who opened a Roma restaurant calledKe Moro inTarnów.[51][52] In the town ofŠtrpce, Serbia, there is a RomaniKafana calledKod Cige (ENG:By the Gypsy)[53]
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