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Romanian Traditional Food

Experience the local culture through the local traditional food https://unknownbucharest.com/bucharest-food-wine-tour/

 

‘Mici’ or ‘Mititei’
The most popular, famous, original Romanian and genius snack and street food: ground meat rolls grilled on charcoal, juicy and a bit spicy. 

Romanian traditional mici mititei

 

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‘Tobă’ and ‘Caltaboș’
A honored tradition for Christmas, ‘toba’ (to the left, a meat jelly made with flesh from the head of the pig) and ‘caltabos’ (made of pork organs, especially liver). Home-made by mum and me, for Christmas 2014:)

Christmas Romanian traditional toba caltabos

 

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‘Sarmale’ (Romanian Traditional Cabbage Rolls)
There is no Christmas table without ‘sarmale’, cabbage rolls made of grounded pork meat with onions and rice, stuffed in sauerkraut, slowly cooked for hours in clay pot until will melt in your mouth. Below you see homemade ‘sarmale’ prepared by Mum for Christmas 2022:)

Cabbage Rolls on Christmas Table

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Fried pork, with polenta (‘mămăliguță’) and pickled peppers
There is an ancient tradition called ‘pork feast’ (‘pomana porcului’), which is a sort of ‘thank you’ meal for family and friends who had helped with the hard work of butchering a farm-raised pig. Typically it consists of fried pork, served with polenta and pickles (as seen below)

Romanian food

 

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‘Cozonaci’ (Sweet Bread)

Christmas traditional sweet bread

 

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Turta Dulce (Romanian Traditional Gingerbread)

Romanian traditional gingerbread

 

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Soups
Traditional sour Romanian soup is called ‘ciorba’ and it’s made of vegetables and meats (pork, chicken or beaf), prepared traditionally with bors (fermented wheat bran) or sauerkraut, or lemon juice. Ciorba is nourishing, rich and full of flavor, and a meal in itself. Typically, lovage gives it a characteristic flavor, while in Transylvania region tarragon is preferred.

 

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Ciorba de miel (Romanian traditional lamb soup)

Ciorba de miel - Lamb soup

 

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“Ciorbă țărănească cu afumătură”  (Romanian smoked meat & potatoes sour soup)

Ciorba taraneasca cu afumatura

 

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“Ciorbă de fasole” (The Bean Soup)
The bean soup is normally made with smoked pork knuckle, seasoned with apple cider vinegar and scented with tarragon and thyme, Transylvanian style, but this one below is the humble Lenten version, traditionally soured with borş (fermented wheat bran) and parsley-scented as they do in Southern Romania.

Romanian lenten season bean soup (ciorba de fasole de post)

 

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 Murături (Pickles)

Pickles

 

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Covrigi (Pretzels)
The pretzels (Romanian “covrigi”) are a famous specialty of the town of Buzau. Legend has it that the pretzels recipe was introduced to Buzau around 1800, by Greek merchants who settled in the area. Since January 2007, “Covrigii de Buzau” are European protected trademark.
In the picture you can see the authentic Covrigi de Buzau, that I purchased myself during a trip (Dec. 2012).

Traditional Buzau Pretzels Covrigi de Buzau

 

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Traditional Easter Eggs

Traditional Easter Eggs

 

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Romanian Easter dyed eggs

 

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Roasted Lamb

Oven baked lamb

 

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Traditional Easter ‘Drob de miel’

Drob de miel

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