Romanian cuisine (Romanian:Bucătăria românească) is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been influenced mainly byOttoman andTurkish cuisine but also a series of European cuisines in particular from theBalkan Peninsula andHungarian cuisine as well as culinary elements stemming from the cuisines ofCentral Europe.[1]
Romanian cuisine includes numerous holiday dishes arranged according to the mentioned season and holiday since the country has its religious roots inEastern Orthodoxy. Romanian dishes consist of vegetables, cereals, fruits, honey, milk, dairy products, meat and game.[1]
Various kinds of dishes are available, which are sometimes included under a generic term; for example, the categoryciorbă includes a wide range of soups with a characteristic sour taste. Variations include meat and vegetable soup, tripe (ciorbă de burtă) and calf foot soup, or fish soup, all of which are soured bylemon juice,sauerkraut juice (zeamă de varză),vinegar, orborș (traditionally made from bran). The categoryțuică (plum brandy) is a name for a strongalcoholic spirit inRomania.
With the cuisine of Romania being shared by another country, namelyMoldova, there are similarities between the cuisines of the two Romanian-speaking countries.
In the history of Romanian culinary literature,Costache Negruzzi andMihail Kogălniceanu were the compilers of a cookbook200 Proven Recipes for Dishes, Pastries and Other Household Works(Romanian:200 rețete cercate de bucate, prăjituri și alte trebi gospodărești) printed in 1841.[2] Also, Negruzzi writes in "Alexandru Lăpușneanu", "InMoldavia, at this time, fine food wasn't fashioned. The greatest feast only offered a few types of dishes. After the borș, Greek dishes would follow, boiled with herbs floating in butter, and finally cosmopolitan steaks".[3]
Cheese has been a part of Romanian cuisine since the beginning of its history.Brânză is the generic term forcheese in Romanian.
Maize andpotatoes became staples of Romanian cuisine after their introduction toEurope. Maize, in particular, contributed to health and nutrition improvements of Romanians in the 16th and 17th centuries, resulting in a population boom.[4][5]
For about three centuries, Wallachia and Moldavia, two of the three medieval Romanian principalities, were mildly influenced by their various neighbors, like theOttoman Empire.Ottoman cuisine changed the Romanian table with appetizers made from variousvegetables, such aseggplant andbell peppers, as well as variousmeat preparations, such aschiftele (deep-fried meatballs, a variation ofkofta). The various kinds ofciorbă and meat-and-vegetable stews, such asiahnie de fasole (beans),ardei umpluți (stuffed peppers), andsarmale (stuffed cabbage) are influenced byTurkish cuisine.
Romanian recipes bear the same influences as the rest of Romanian culture. The Turks broughtmeatballs (perișoare in a meatball soup), from the Greeks there ismusaca, from the Austrians there is theșnițel, and the list continues. The Romanians share many foods with the Balkan area and former Austria-Hungary. Some others are original or can be traced to the Romans, as well as other ancient civilizations. The lack of written sources in Eastern Europe makes it impossible to determine today the exact origin for most of them.
One of the most common meals is themămăligă (polenta), served on its own or as an accompaniment.Pork is the main meat used in Romanian cuisine, butbeef is also consumed, along withmutton and fish.
BeforeChristmas, on December 20 (Ignat's Day orIgnatul inRomanian),[6] apig is traditionally slaughtered by every rural family.[7] A variety of foods for Christmas are prepared from the slaughtered pig, such as:
Cârnați – garlicky pork sausages, which may be smoked or dry-cured;
Lebăr – an emulsified sausage based onliver with the consistency of the filling ranging from fine (pâté) to coarse;
Sângerete (black pudding) – an emulsified sausage obtained from a mixture of pig's blood with fat and meat, breadcrumbs or other grains, and spices;
Tobă (head cheese) – based on pig's feet, ears, and meat from the head suspended inaspic and stuffed in the pig's stomach;
Tochitură – a stew made with pork, smoked and fresh sausage simmered in a tomato sauce and served withmămăligă andwine ("so that the pork can swim"). There are many variations of this stew throughout Romania, with some versions combining different meats, including chicken, lamb, beef, pork and sometimes even offal;
Pomana porcului—pan-fried cubed pork served right after the pig's sacrifice to thank the relatives and friends who helped with the process;
Piftie/răcitură – inferior parts of the pig, mainly the tail, feet, and ears, spiced with garlic and served in aspic;
Jumări – dried pork remaining from rendering of the fat and tumbled through various spices
The Christmas meal is sweetened with the traditionalcozonac, a sweet bread made with nuts, poppy seeds, orrahat (Turkish delight).
AtEaster,lamb is served: the main dishes areborș de miel (lamb sour soup), roast lamb, anddrob de miel – a Romanian dish similar tohaggis made from mincedoffal (heart, liver, lungs), lamb meat and spring onions with spices, wrapped in acaul and roasted.[8][9] The traditional Easter cake ispască, a pie made fromyeast dough with a sweetcottage cheese filling at the center.[10][11]
Romanian pancakes, calledclătite, are thin (like the Frenchcrêpe) and can be prepared with savory or sweet fillings:ground meat,cheese, orjam. Different recipes are prepared depending on the season or the occasion.[12]
According to the 2009 data ofFAOSTAT, Romania is the world's second largestplum producer (after theUnited States),[13] and as much as 75% of Romania's plum production is processed into the famousțuică, a plum brandy obtained through one or moredistillation steps.[14]
Followers of theRomanian Orthodox Churchfast during several periods throughout the ecclesiastical calendar amounting to a majority of the year. In the Romanian Orthodox tradition, devotees keep to a diet without any animal products during these times. As a result, vegan foods are abundant in stores and restaurants; however, Romanians may not be familiar with a vegan or vegetarian diet as a full-time lifestyle choice.[15] Many recipes below havevegan versions, and the vegetables section below contains many common fasting foods.
Ciorbă de cartofiCiorbă de burtăSupă (de pui) cu tăiețeiBeans and smoked meat, traditionally served with either fresh or pickled hot pepper
Borș is fermentedwheat bran, a souring agent forciorbă. Borș is also used today as a synonym forciorbă, but in the past, a distinction was made betweenborș andciorbă (acritură), the souring agent for the latter being the juice of unripe fruits, such as grapes, mirabelle, or wood sorrel leaves.
Ciorbă țărănească (peasant soup), made from a variety of vegetables and any kind of meat (beef, pork, mutton, chicken, fish)
Storceag, fish soup with sour cream and egg, soured with vinegar or lemon juice.
Supă (generic name for sweet (usually clear) soups, made from vegetables alone or combined with poultry and beef). The difference betweensupă andciorbă is that the meat and most of the vegetables are removed, the resulting liquid being served with dumplings or noodles. There are also a number of sour soups which use lemon juice as a souring agent, calledsupe a la grec (Greek soups).
Caltaboș / chișcă - a cooked sausage made from mincedpork organs mainly liver, rice, onions, herbs (parsley, dill) and spices, stuffed in a pig's bowel casing
Cârnați - a garlicky sausage, mostly smoked, stuffed in clean, blanched small bowel as inFasole cu cârnați
Chiftele - a type of smallmeatball made of ground pork, beef, lamb mixed with breadcrumbs and egg, onions, garlic and parsley.
Ciulama de vițel -veal ciulama white thick flour and sour cream sauce
Drob de miel - a lambhaggis made from mincedorgans wrapped in acaul and roasted like ameatloaf; a traditional Easter dish, usually with encased boiled eggs
Frigărui - Romanian-style shish-kebab, made with pork or a mixture of ground pork and chicken , similar to the Iranian kubideh, but with different herbs and spices.
Mititei (mici) - grilled minced meat rolls, traditionally made from lamb meat, or from mixed meats (pork, veal, lamb) with lots of spices (garlic, thyme, pepper, paprika etc.)
Grătar (usually made together with "mici") - grilled pork/beef, thinly sliced with condiments
Ostropel - method of cookingchicken orduck or any meat. It is a slow-cooked fried meat in tomato sauce.
Papricaș - Chicken paprikash made with bell pepper and paprika, originating from Hungary
Gulaș - Goulash, a stew made with potato and beef, originating from Hungary
Jumări - kind of pork cracklings, with fat thermally extracted from the lard
Pastrami - is a food originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket, or from lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration.
Pârjoale - a type ofmeatball bigger than chiftele, originating in Moldova with breadcrumbs and parsley
Piftie - the preparation of this dish is similar to the Frenchdemi-glace. Pork stock is reduced by simmering, which is placed in containers, and spiced with garlic and sweet paprika powder. The boiled pork meat is then added, and left to cool. The cooled liquid has a gelatinous consistency, salty, garlicky and peppery. It is eaten cold.
Plescaviță - hamburger type meat consisted of spiced minced pork, beef and lamb meat
Rasol - slowly stewed beef at low fire, usually served with a garlic paste (mujdei)
Salam de Sibiu - a variety of salami registered as a Romanian protected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union[16]
Sarmale - stuffed sour cabbage or grape leaves with ground meat with rice, onions, herbs. It is boiled for a few hours traditionally in ceramic pots. In Transylvania smoked pig feet or pork skins are placed in the pot between the stuffed cabbages. There are also many vegan varieties stuffed with rice and herbs.
Slănină - pork fat, often smoked with paprika, herbs and pepper
Shawarma - locally known asȘaormă, it is one of the most popular street foods in the country.
Mozaic șnițel - a specialty of Western Romania, which is two thin layers of different meats with amushroom filling. Other vegetable fillings may be used instead of mushrooms.
Salată de icre - roe salad, traditionally made fromcarp,pike, or various marine fish species, calledtarama, with onion
Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea - a variety of Salată de icre registered as a Romanian protected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union[17]
Salata tradițională cu icre de crap - another variety of Salată de icre registered as a Romanian protected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union[18]
Ghiveci - Romania's national dish; a vegetable stew similar to the Bulgariangjuvec and the Hungarianlecsó[20][21]
Ghiveci călugăresc - vegetable stew prepared by the nuns in the monasteries
Fasole batută - bean paste made from Romanian refried beans, uses white or cannellini beans, with the addition of olive or sunflower oil and minced garlic. The dish is traditionally served with fried onions as a garnish.
Mămăligă -cornmeal mush, also known as Romanian-stylepolenta. Mămăligă can be served as a side dish or form the basis of further dishes, such asmămăligă cu lapte (polenta with hot milk),bulz (baked polenta with Romanian sheep cheese and sour cream),mămăliguță cu brânză și smântănă (polenta withtelemea (Romanian cheese similar tofeta) and sour cream), etc.
Pilaf - a dish ofrice,vegetables, and pieces ofmeat (optional). The meat is usually the offal, wings, and organs ofchicken,pork, orlamb. The cooking method is very similar torisotto.
Șnițel de ciuperci - mushroomfritter (șnițel is the Romanian spelling of the German wordschnitzel (breaded boneless cutlet), but it may be used to mean any sort of fritter)
Tocană de ciuperci -mushroom stew made with fried mushrooms, garlic and dill (sometimes sour cream is added)
Zacuscă - vegetable spread consisting of roasted eggplant, sauteed onions, tomato paste, and roasted red peppers cooked for a long time at a low temperature
Salată de roșii - tomato salad, with sliced onions, bell peppers, and cucumber. Flavored with dill or parsley.
Shopska salad - known locally as Bulgarian salad, it is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion/scallions, raw or roasted peppers, telemea, and parsley. The vegetables are usually diced and salted, followed by a light dressing of sunflower/olive oil complemented with vinegar
The generic name forcheese inRomania isbrânză, and it is considered to be ofDacian origin. Most of the cheeses are made from cow's or sheep's milk. Goat's milk is rarely used. Sheep cheese is considered "the real cheese", although in modern times, some people refrain from consuming it due to its higher fat content and specific smell.
Brânză de burduf is a kneaded cheese prepared from sheep's milk and traditionally stuffed into a sheep's stomach; it has a strong taste and semi-soft texture
Brânză în coșuleț is a sheep's milk, kneaded cheese with a strong taste and semi-soft texture, stuffed into bellows of fir tree bark instead of pig bladder, very lightly smoked, traditional product
Caș is a semi-soft fresh white cheese, unsalted or lightly salted, stored in brine, which is eaten fresh (cannot be preserved), traditional, seasonal product
Cașcaval is a semi-hard cheese made from sheep's or cow's milk, traditional product. TheCașcaval de Săveni is a type of cașcaval published as a Romanianprotected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union.[22]
Telemea, cow's or sheep's milk white cheese, vaguely similar tofeta. The traditional "Telemea de Ibănești" is a type of telemea registered as a Romanianprotected designation of origin (PDO) product in the European Union, while the "Telemea de Sibiu" is registered as a Romanian protected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union.[16][22] Notably the "Telemea de Covurlui" is spiced withNigella damascena seeds, which gives it a unique flavor.
Urdă - made by boiling the whey drained from cow's or ewe's milk until the remaining proteins precipitate and can be collected, traditional product
Magiun of Topoloveni - a type of plumjam, registered as a Romanian protected geographical indication (PGI) product in the European Union[16]
Mucenici/sfințișori - sweet pastries (shaped like "8", made from boiled or baked dough, garnished withwalnuts,sugar, orhoney, eaten on a single day of the year, on 9 March)[25]
Pelincile Domnului - a Moldavian type of pie made of honey-flavoured thin wheat cakes and hemp seed cream. Less and less exposure because of the confusion between Cannabis sativa (traditionally cultivated in Romania) andCannabis indica (the THC-rich variety)
Chocolate salami - salam de biscuiți (literally „salami of biscuits"), made from biscuits, chocolate, andrum essence. The cylindrical shape resembles a sausage, hence the name.
Afinată - a liqueur made fromafine (aka. bilberry in English), which are similar to the North American blueberry.
Ayran - cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is consumed mostly inDobrogea
Bere - locally produced beer brands from local breweries and craft beers
Cafea - Turkish coffee prepared in a cezve using very finely ground coffee beans without filtering
Ceai - prepared in the form of either various planttisanes (chamomile,mint, tilly flower, etc.) or commonblack tea, calledceai rusesc in Romanian, which is Russian tea usually served during breakfast.
Chefir - fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture.
Horincă is a plum or applebrandy, produced in the northern part of the country (Maramureș)
Must - the grape juice in the fermentation process that hasn't become wine yet.
Pălincă is a strong, double-distilled fruit brandy (especially plum, but also apple, apricots, peach, pear etc.) produced inTransylvania
Pelin de mai is a wine specialty, usually produced in the spring, flavored with Artemisia dried plants
Rachiu/Rachie is a fruit brandy. Generic "rachiu" can be made from any fruit (except plums), while "țuică" is reserved exclusively for the variety of brandy made from plums.
^Drace-Francis, Alex (2022).The making of mămăligă: transimperial recipes for a Romanian national dish. Budapest ; Vienna ; New York: Central European University Press.ISBN978-963-386-584-2.
