FOOD, DRINK, WINES
Romania has
restaurants of all classes, catering for all kinds of specialties. You can
order both international cuisine and specifically Romanian fare at any
restaurant, à la carte or as a set menu. The majority also serve snacks and hot
dishes at any hour.
Since one of the favorite
forms of entertainment is dining and dancing, most restaurants have a dance
floor, with music in the evening. During the summer season there are garden
restaurants in the middle of parks or by the lakes.
The Romanian cuisine is
greatly appreciated by those who have had the opportunity to sample it on the
spot. The explanation is very simple. From the culinary point of view, Romania
is the crossroads where every "school" has met and left its mark.
During the last century, the French cuisine was the one generally adopted, but
was yet unable to replace the national one. Nor is it surprising that some of
the most typical dishes from the neighboring countries have also made their
appearance in Romania. However, they only serve to garnish the varied and savory
Romanian cuisine, which is so tantalizingly full of secrets and subtleties.
The Romanian cuisine can be
divided according to different regions : for example, the Moldavian cuisine
with its old traditions using sour‑cream, the Transylvanian which specializes
in sweetened sauces and spices and the Oltenian which savors soups, meat and
fish, as well as highly spiced dishes. Resides these regional aspects, the
Romanian cuisine is also influenced by the seasons : summer brings an abundance
of fruits and vegetables, while in winter there are very few, except, of
course, for canned and preserved varieties.
Pork takes the place of honors
during winter, especially at holiday time. You can buy small sausages, blood
sausages, "piftie" (highly seasoned pork in aspic), ham and many
other kinds of highly appetizing varieties. Especially popular are the pork
meat balis wrapped in sour cabbage leaves known as "Sarmale".
Mamaliga ‑ a cornmeal mush,
Is the Romanian all purpose staple food. Hot, cold, fried, it is delicious in
melted butter, sour cream or yogurts, garnished with salted herring and cottage
cheese, or eaten with eggs for breakfast, and added to meat dishes.
Other favorites include
Moldovian Borsh, a hearty sour meat soup, and Mititei, made with highly
seasoned minced meat and grilled. These make tasty snacks and can be ordered in
cafes and restaurants.
Ciorba de Perlshoare : soup with meat balis.
Clorba Pescareasca : soup with many varieties of fish.
Clorba de Potroace : sour soup with giblets.
Ciorba Tzaraneasca: meat and vegetable soup peasant‑style.
Borsh de Miel : sour soup containing pieces of lamb,
Patricleni : similar to Mititei, but dressed with spices and
covered with pork intestine.
Sarmale : minced meat, rolled in cabbage or vine leaves with
mamallga.
Sarmalutze in Foie de
Vitza : minced meat rolled in vive
leaves, sprinkled with Borsh, served with cream or yogurt.
Tocana : Pork, beef or mutton stew, with onions, also usually
served with mamaliga.
Ghiveci : a vegetable stew cooked in oil. Also called
"calugaresc" when served without meat.
Saramura de Crap : grilled carp with pepper, also served with mamaliga.
Ardei Umplutzi : sweet peppers stuffed with minced meat and rice.
Pirjoala Moldoveneasca : Moldovian hamburgers.
Pastrama : smoked meat ‑ goats, geese.
Placinte Poale‑n‑briu : turnovers.
Coltzunash cu Smintina : boiled triangular dumplings filled with cottage
cheese and served with cream and sugar.
Cozonac : brioche.
Baclava : nuts and honey.
‑ both of Turkish origin.
Cataif : whipped cream.
Clatite : pancakes served with jam, flambé.
Papansh : ring doughnuts served with soar cream.
Romania is well known as a
country which produces large quantities of varied and superior quality fruit.
In summer you can enjoy a
cure of cherries, morello cherries, wild and cultivated strawberries of all
kinds, apricots, peaches, apples, pears, water melons, honey melons, plums etc.
Autumn offers even more
choice because of a wide variety of grapes, quinces, melons and plums.
Wine and beer are equally
popular in Romania. The variety of wines is truly remarkable, ranging from
international types such as Riesling, Cabernet, Muscat, to local wines from
Romanian vineyards, which have gained not only numerous gold medals in
international wine competitions but also lasting fame on the world market.
Mixed with soda they are delicious cold drinks ‑ as "soft" as you
wish them. Romanians drink "Shpritz" ‑ wine with soda ‑ more often
than pare wine.
"Before dinner"
drinks include, beside tzuica, a wide selection of vermouths, cognacs,
liqueurs, etc., thus catering for all tastes. Last but not least, deluxe and
first class restaurants, as well as big supermarkets offer the visitor foreign
beverages from Scotch whiskey to Italian vermouth, from German beer to French cognac.
You will find every sort of
soft drink you want in Romania. Especially refreshing are the fruit juices
"NECTAR" ‑made from plums, apricots, peaches, strawberries and many
others.
Why not try also a Romanian specialty
‑ "lapte batut" ‑ (turned over milk, slightly soar) ? Drink it for
breakfast, with a croissant, or simply as a snack at any time of the day.
If by chance you visit
Romania in the autumn, do not forget "must" ‑ the fermented grape
juice.
Zarea : variety of champagnes.
Cotnari : world renowned wines of Moldavian origin.
Murfatlar : very good wine, oily and sweet of Dobrogean origin.
Tirnave Reisling : a dry wine from the Tirnave vineyards.
Tirnave Perla : a fine, light, fragrant wine, medium sweet.
Muscat Ottonel: a muscatel, rich in strength and savor.
Sadova Rose : a fresh, medium rose, of fragrant bouquet.
Segarcea Cabernet : vigorous, red wine, with a strong fruity savor.
Feteasca: dry wine.
Nicoresti Babeasca : full bodied, red, with delicate bouquet.
The national drink ‑ Tzuica
(pium slivovitz or brandy) ‑ 24‑25 proof alcohol ‑ is best taken sitting
down ‑ it's rather strong ! In winter it is served hot, with pepper, cloves and
sugar.
When in Romania, do as the
Romanians do . . . and don't drink coffee in a coffee house ! Choose an
aperitif instead. With your Dubonnet or Vermouth, you will also receive a
portion of cheese, accompanied by olives, onions, tomatoes, radishes ‑ or
perhaps meatballs, or various kinds of cold meats. Rinse it down with a good
wine or tzuica.
If you are wondering when and
where the Romanians drink their coffee ‑ after a meal, when they consider it a
must.
Coffee in Romania
automatically means Turkish coffee ‑ strong, black and sweet. If you want any
other sort of coffee, you must be specific
Nescafe ‑ instant, with or without milk
Expresso ‑ Italian style coffee
Cafea cu lapte ‑ coffee with milk
Marghiloman ‑ Romanian style coffee, and the most expensive.
You will receive your
Marghiloman in a pot, carried on à tray, with some ice cubes, sugar and most
important of all, accompanied by a glass of brandy or better still, rum. You
mix the ingredients yourself in the desired proportion. It is however, served
in deluxe restaurants and coffee houses only.
Breakfast is usually served
between 8‑‑9 a.m., lunch between 1‑4 and dinner around 9 p.m. But the hour is
not really important ‑ restaurants are always ready to serve a good meal in
Romania.
A meal generally begins with
a "gustare" or "taster". This normally consists of one or
more types of cheeses, salami, fresh vegetables or olives. Romania has a great
variety of very good cheeses indeed, ranging from sweet to salty, mild to
strong. Kash and Urda are especially recommended and don't be squeamish about
trying them with green onions, as is the custom in Romania.
After the main course ‑ see
our partial list above ‑ the favorite dessert is clatite and black coffee. At
breakfast, coffee is served with milk, but this is not easy to obtain later on
in the day.
You will certainly not run
the risk of starving or dying of thirst in Romania ‑ but mind your figure.
Inns ‑ These restaurants, known as "trama", with
their rustic furniture, object of folk‑art (napkins, pottery, plates and
pitchers) on the walls, folk musicians and an abundant of Romanian dishes and
wine, are the living image of the traditional hospitality of the Romanian
people. They can be found everywhere, even in the smallest village.
Zahana ‑ If you like roast meat, grilled on charcoal, you
will be pleasantly surprised by dishes far tastier than the usual international
beefsteak. In Bucharest and other towns, you will discover the "zahana"
and may order specialties not found elsewhere ‑ beef sirloin, marrow, brains,
beef or pork kidneys, sweetbreads, chicken, etc.
Mustarli ‑ In autumn, after grapegathering, mustari (small,
rustically decorated kiosks) appear like mushrooms after the rain. They serve
"must" (fresh, unfermented grape‑juice) and "turburel"
("must" which has begun to ferment) as well as delicious snacks.
Fish and Game Restaurant ‑ These are found in Bucharest, the Danube Delta,
near rivers with fish, lakes, and other towns too, in the mountains and on the
coast, and serve a variety of specialties.
"Lacto
Vegetarian" and "Lacto Bars" ‑ These serve mostly vegetable dishes, dairy products, puddings and
home‑made cakes, and are especially recommended for dietetic or semi‑dietetic
menus.
Brasseries ‑ These are unpretentious restaurants with a pleasant
atmosphere, serving beer, "tzuica", wine and hot dishes.
Cafe Bars ‑ Small Cafes where you can drink black coffee or
Turkish coffee, as well as alcoholic specialties.
Some restaurants, beside the
typical Romanian fare and decor, have also a folklore program. This is
worthwhile seeking, since the bright, colorful costumes, the gay dances and the
lyrical love songs ‑ will add an extra savor to your Romanian meal.
The great variety of Romanian
folkdances and songs will not allow you to see everything, but you can get a
good idea of the most famous dances, like the "Calushari", the most
typical costumes, and a few examples of Romanian folk music. Often there is
just a singer, who in addition to hit songs of today, sings also a selection of
Romanian folk tunes.