Romania for foodies

Whether if you are a food addicted, or a wine afficionado, you will find excellent places in Romania where you can feed your small guilty addictions.

To better find the local flavors, keep in mind that sometimes the Romanian monasteries offer rooms for stay (not very comfy, for sure). If they invite to the dinner, don't dare to say no, it is an unique experience.

The Romanian kitchen has suffered successive strong influences from the neighboring countries and discovering them means already a multicultural side to your Romanian travel. Amazing how this very tolerant people managed to adopt and assimilate all these strange influences, but simultaneously achieved to keep a total particular touch. Because the proudly Romanians are really different comparing to their neighbors! Discover during your travel to Romania the taste and flavor of German, Hungarian, Russian, Turkish and French or international haut cuisine.

Miercurea Ciuc, in Szekely land, offer total special tastes and flavors

But you are supposed to discover the Romanian dishes, this is the really the ground, the first letter of the alphabet only after that you will we able to feel the subtle influence of the foreign dishes and kitchens.  So, find first a Romanian restaurant, there are still a plenty of such restaurants in Bucharest, Iasi, Craiova and other Romanian cities and towns. It is possible to make the difference between the very popular restaurants, which are very cheap and usually have a fantastic daily offer ( called "meniul zilei", my tip: never miss it if you are on a budget!). It consists on two or three courses meal which costs approximately unbelievable 4 Euro! Add please a glass of the house wine ("vinul casei") for 1 Euro and you are again prepared for new major adventures and challenges in Romania.

I must accept, you already learned some Romanian words. It is very useful for your survival in Romania. Romanian is really easy for the people who speak or understand French, Italian or Spanish (we have many things in common with these people, love and respect them a lot, being also descendants of the same almighty Roman empire! It should by all means not to understand that we don't love or respect other people, even on the contrary: the Romanians are perfect hosts with a natural born hospitality and friendship).

An exquisite Romanian luxury restaurant

The second category of Romanian restaurants are the more exquisite ones, which are not so cheap any more, are very seldom to be find to the countryside or in small towns. Very probably, they also offer excellent folklore shows with interesting songs and dances. Even if you don't understand the language, despite your practice and knowledge, you will be able to understand a lot and will be mesmerized about it!

A few specific Romanian dishes: vegetable soups, or even trip soup for the next day of the all night parties (sour and spicy for sure); mititei (similar with the Turkish cevap-cici); meat rolls with corn mush. Add please a glass of strong local wine (I would recommend a red variety, e.g. a Merlot!). It should be all by now, will come back with other spicy details!

Read more »

How to find the best Romanian meals and where to order them

Coming to Romania is not anymore a risky adventure, as it used to be a few years or decades ago. The Romanian are civilized normal people with manners and right behavior, the country is safe and the streets almost o.k. You can find in Romania best hotel chains with most sophisticated amenities, but you can also spend your vacation to a small pension, or at the home of a welcoming local (which I would really recommend !)

You can also find in Romania modern, sophisticated dishes, or fast food, but I hope that you didn't come here to queue to McDonald's, it would be outrageous! Searching and asking the Romanian dishes and specials will make you richer and locals will appreciate and even adopt you (once they did, you can be sure that they will be devoted and borrow you even the shirt)

A very appreciated Romanian dish are for sure the meat rolls, which you taste better with corn mush and creme fraiche. Pair it with a dry white wine, and you will be next to paradise. These meat rolls never lack from any Romanian feast, it has tradition and some special spices for the secret recipes. It is possible to find them in different presentations, rolled in cabbage, or grape leaves, bigger or smaller, with little variations in taste, but they they still are number one.

Restaurant continental from Oradea is a good place to order Romanian specific dishes

There are for sure some regional differences between the certain areas of Romania. A general influence is first of all the refined French haute cuisine, introduced with the second half of the XIXth century, beginning with Bucharest, which has had always excellent restaurants. The evolution of Bucharest restaurants goes on nowadays in a spectacular way  through  the opening of many restaurants with foreign kitchen and dishes!

In Transilvania is a  strong influence of the Hungarian Austrian kitchen. Visiting Oradea, Arad, Cluj Napoca is easy to detect it. An important role play in this area the bacon, as other pig products, with the necessary treatments. They eat bacon practically all year long, which is maybe not the best treatment for heart and blood, but please don't try to tell them anything about cholesterol. They won't understand, will be offended, and will give you another glass of tzuica to forget and burn the fat! The dishes here are fat, spicy and tasty. They use also some vegetables, milk and eggs. The soups are being soured with cabbage and spiced with tarragon. An important thing here are the sauces, consisting on onions with flour. Smoked products are also another issue, used even in the soups. Cabbage a la Cluj is a renowned local speciality, consisting of cabbage combined with rice and mincemeat (add a glass of half dried red wine)

Wine tasting by Tulcea, paired with spicy goat cheese and salad

Totally different is the kitchen from Dobrogea, with strong oriental Turkish influences, but the local conditions played also an important role. They use there oil and butter, and the meals don't fall so bad like in Transilvania. They use also sheep and fish, even pig, but never pig fat for cooking. During the hot season they eat very light, mainly salads, with a glass of cold sweat wine, e.g. Chardonnay from Murfatlar.

Read more »