| Romania is a beautiful little country in Eastern Europe in | | | | meat, and fresh vegetables called drob in Romanian. |
| the Balkan region. While living and working there over | | | | Fish from the Danube River and scad from the Black |
| the years, I have eaten and enjoyed many delicious | | | | Sea is very important to Romanians. Pollution has |
| meals. Meal time in Romania is a very special time. | | | | widely affected the fishing industry in Eastern Europe |
| Family and friends come together and may linger long | | | | and eating fish is not as popular as it once was. |
| after a meal is over in deep conversation. | | | | Soups, especially bean soup, is served hot in the winter |
| The food of Romania is diverse. Food choices and | | | | in Romania and cold soup made with cucumber, |
| cooking styles are influenced by Balkan traditions as | | | | yogurt, and walnuts and known as tarator, is made in |
| well as German, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian and those | | | | the summer. Lovage, an unusual herb tasting like |
| of the Near East which includes Israel, Palestine, | | | | celery, is used in Romanian cooking, especially in lamb |
| Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. | | | | soup. Soups are usually soured with lemon juice or a |
| Some of the traditional Romanian dishes are stuffed | | | | dash of vinegar. |
| cabbage leaves known in the Romanian language as | | | | Different breads are very popular in Romanian culture |
| sarmale. Other vegetables cooked and served are | | | | and there are many interesting varieties. Cooked |
| stuffed bell peppers (ardei umpluti); green beans | | | | cornmeal (mamaliga) is traditional in all of Eastern |
| (fasole verde); carrots sote (sote de morcovi); roasted | | | | Europe and is considered the poor man's dish and is a |
| peppers (ardei copti); eggplant salad (salata de vinete); | | | | Romanian specialty. It is used with meat or cheese |
| and tomato salad (salata de rosii). Potatoes are | | | | and is called polenta in Italy. It is cooked so long to be |
| popular in Romania and are served very often. They | | | | thickened and when done can be sliced like bread. |
| are cheap to buy and are sold everywhere in the fall, | | | | Cheeses of all kinds are very popular with the |
| both in markets and along the streets and highways in | | | | Romanian people. The generic name for cheese in |
| front of private homes. There are vegetables and | | | | Romania is branza. Most of the cheese is made from |
| fruits of all kinds and many of them are raised in the | | | | cow or sheep milk. |
| country itself. | | | | Desserts are usually crepes filled with fruits or cherry |
| Pork and lamb are preferred over beef in Romania | | | | streudel. Other desserts in Romania include baclava, |
| and pork fat is used for cooking. For Christmas a pig is | | | | which is sweet layered pastry; sponge cake known as |
| traditionally butchered by every family and a variety of | | | | pandispan; rice pudding or orez cu lapte; and |
| recipes are used to prepare the meat. One of the | | | | gingerbread or turta dulce. |
| popular dishes made from the liver and intestines of | | | | More and more wine is produced now in Romania. In |
| the pork is a long sausage called carnati. Another dish | | | | the past religious influences and fifty years of political |
| is piftie which is made from the feet, head, and the | | | | isolation from market influences kept it from being so. |
| ears and is suspended in aspic. I have seen most of | | | | Romanian brandy made with plums grown there is |
| the country and in my travels around I have seen | | | | considered to be a national spirit drink and is called |
| many more sheep and pigs grazing in fields than cattle. | | | | tulca. The meal ends with coffee, the strong thick |
| Romanians love spicy meatballs made from a mixture | | | | Turkish style coffee served with dulceata which are |
| of pork and beef. Ghiveci is a Romanian dish which | | | | soft candies made with apples, plums, or raisins or figs |
| combines meat and vegetables and is baked. Other | | | | that have been stewed, thickened and rolled into balls, |
| meat dishes include skewered meat (frigarui); cow | | | | coated with nuts and dipped in rum or other alcohol. |
| tongue with olives (limba cu masline); grilled mince meat | | | | When visiting homes anywhere in Romania the people |
| rolls (mititei); and chicken cutlet (snitel). At Easter roast | | | | are friendly and warm and always there is an invitation |
| lamb is served and also a cooked mixture of intestines, | | | | to share their food. |