Food is for sharing: small plates, starters, salads
From a delicious variety of dips and vibrant salads to ingenious polenta dishes, this chapter is dedicated to the Romanian way of starting a meal: sharing food and feeling happy.
Bread is the staff of life and Romanians treasure it greatly, making it a part of everyday life – from street food to celebrations and traditions. Try silky potato bread, moreish caraway bread knots, cheese breads and also cherry flatbreads and chimney cakes.
An intriguing ingredient, borş is the tangy element added to a whole world of broths, from pork with tarragon, meatballs with lovage, lettuce with sliced omelette, stuffed courgettes and even pickled peppers.
Traditional Romanian main courses are mostly hearty stews served called tocană or mâncare with pickles, polenta or dumplings. From the national dish of stuffed sauerkraut leaves, mutton pastrami and lamb terrine, to intriguing gammon stuffed apples, pilaf with smoked prunes and polenta coated fried anchovies, here is a mouthwatering collection of dishes ready to take you on a journey around Romania.
Romanian desserts open the door to a seductive, fairytale world of the old Byzantium meeting the sophisticated cuisines of Austria and France.
Pickles, preserves, compotes and drinks
In summer and autumn, Romanians turn to pickling, preserving, making jams and preparing drinks. From fermented green tomatoes and stuffed pickled peppers, to rosehip jam and cherry liqueur, these recipes speak of a nation that doesn’t like to waste anything.