This Romanian Cooking Guide will have information and recipes related to the meals, food, and cuisine.   A complete Romanian meal includes an appetizer, soup, fish, an entree, and dessert.  Lunch includes soup which comes either noodles or dumplings or with vegetables; an entree usually meat; and dessert.  Each region of Romania has some distinctive dishes.  Romanian cooking is greatly influenced by its days as part of the Ottoman empire.  Romania is closed to several slavic countries and the influence on Romanian cooking can be seen.  Additionally, a sizable minority in Romania are Hungarians and thus there is that influence on Romanian foods.  In the past, Romania was home to a large German population which also helped influence Romanian cuisine.  The Romania Food and Drinks gives an overview of Romanian cuisine.  Romania Christmas Foods has information about the breads and flat cakes that Romanians make and eat during that holiday season.  At the bottom of the page are over 35 Romanian recipes.  Besides the romanian recipes there are recipes from other ethnic cuisines.

 

 

Among the popular dishes in Romanian cuisine is Ciorba which is a sour soup with various meats and vegetables.  Ciorba de perisoare is the meatball soup.  Ciorba de legume is the vegetable soup.  Ciorba de vita is the beef soup. Ciorba de pui is the chicken soup. The cauliflower soup is called ciorba de conopida while the pumpkin soup is called ciorba de dovleac.  The dumplings or noodles that are added to soups are called galusca.  They are typically made with mixing flour, water and eggs together and also may include finely grated potatoes.  They are cut into thin strips and dumped in boiling water to cook. These dumplings are also served with meats or alone with butter, salt, and pepper and sometimes with cottage cheese or similar cheeses. 

 

 

Some of the meat dishes that are popular include Caltabos which is a minced pork and rice stuffed in a pig casing and cârnati which is sausage flavored with garlic.   Plescoi sausages contains mutton which contains chili peppers and garlic and sometimes beef. Toba de Porc is another sausage which is pig's stomach stuffed with pork jelly, liver, and skin. Rasol is a meat dish which chicken, beef, or pork is used.  The meat is boiled with potatoes and other vegetables including carrots, onions, and tomatoes.  It is usually served with Mujdei (A type of spicy romanian sauce) or horseradish. Chiftele is a type of meatball covered with either flour or a bread crust.  Frigarui is similar to a kebab with some type of meat such as chicken or beef and vegetables such as onions, peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms place or a skewer and grilled.  Sometimes bacon is also placed between the pieces of meat.  It is often seasoned with pepper, garlic, savory, and other spices.  Mititei is grilled mince meat which is mainly beef but is often mixed with mutton or pork and then seasoned with different spices.  Stufat de miel is a stew made of lamb, garlic, and onion.  Slanina is pork fat which is generally smoked is similar to bacon.  It is often cubed and then fried or baked. Varza calita is steamed cabbage with either duck, sausage, or pork ribs. Tochitura ardeleneasca is a Transylvanian stew made with either chicken, pork, or sausages and is spicy.  Caltabosi Moldovenesti is a type of pork sausage.  Miel cu Ciuperci is lamb with mushrooms.  Filet de Beouf is beef fillet.  Drob de Miel is lamb tripe and is served at Easter time.

 

 

Plachie din peste is a River fish stew with vegetables usually onions and carrots.  Plachie de Cod would be a stew with Cod.  Saramura de crap is carp in brine.  Chiftele de peste are fish cakes.  Papricas de peste is a fish stew with generally pike and perch mixed with onions, tomatoes & other vegetables and with papricka as the main spice to add taste.  Crap pane is breaded carp fillets.  The carp is coated with bread crumbs and is fried in oil and served with lemon and parsley.  Zacusca de peste is either breaded Carp or Mackerel fried in oil.  Plachie de peste is fish meal.

 

Romanian Vegetable Guide

 

Ghiveci is a vegetable stew which contains such veggies as onions, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, & peas and herbs such as dill, parsley, and thyme.  Additionally seasonal vegetables such as eggplant or zucchini are also added. Ghiveci De Legume Cu Carne is a vegetable stew with pork and such vegetables as onions, carrots, red cabbage, cucumber, pumpkin and potatoes.  Vinete umpluti is peppers stuffed with eggplant and spices. Mâncare de mazare is a pea stew usually with tomatoes.  Mâncare de praz is a leek stew with leeks, onions, onions, bay leaf, and olives.  Ardei copti are roasted peppers. Sarmale is stuffed cabbage with meat, rice, and spices. Cartofi la cuptor cu oua si branza is baked potatoes with eggs and cheese

 

 

Placinte are pies.  Gogosi are a type of donuts.  Covrigi cu sare is pretzels with salt.  Halva de floarea soarelu is made from a sunflower seeds based paste and may contain pistachios, chocolate, or almonds.  Pandispan is a sponge cake.  Cozonac is a traditional sweet bread serve during most of the major holidays including Easter, Christmas, and New Years.  Orez cu lapte is rice with milk.  Crema de zahar ars is Creme Brulee.  Clatite are pancakes. Alivanca is a cream cheese dessert. Pasca cu ciocolata pasca is a cocoa flavored dessert bread.  Turta Din Faina de Grau is a wheat flat cake served at Christmas. Torte de Ajun is a flat cake traditionally served at Christmas Eve. colaci de Cracium or Craciunei are knotted shaped breads which are made for Christmas but also on other festive holidays such as New Years Eve.  The shape of the bread varies depending what they are celebrating.  Mamaliga is the Romanian version of polenta.  Pasca cu crema is a creme filled dessert bread served at Easter.  Jeleu de Vin is wine jelly.

 

Brânza de burduf is a salty sheep milks soft cheese.  Brânza de vaci is similar to cottage cheese.  Brânza topita is a process cow's cheese used in grilled cheese sandwiches.  Urda is a cheese made from the whey and is similiar to ricotta cheese.  Cas is a cheese made by adding rennet to cow's milk.  This cheese is similar to Feta cheese.  Telemea is similar to Cas and is usually made from sheeps milk but cow's milk is also used. 

 

 

Bors is a fermented wheat brand.  Ardei copti are roasted peppers.  Muraturi are pickled vegetables.  Castraveti murati is pickled cucumbers.  Sfecla murata is pickled beets.  Gogonele is unriped pickled tomatoes.

 

 

Salata de cartofi is potato salad.  Salata de boeuf is meat with boiled minced vegetables salad.  Salata de vinete is eggplant salad.  Salata de telina is celery salad.  Salata de sfecla is a beet salad.  Salata de rosii is tomato salad. Salata de Conopida si Rosii is a cauliflower and tomato salad. Salata de prajita piper is roasted pepper salad.

 

 

Socata is made from elderberry and is a traditional drink in Romania.  Bere is the Romanian word for beer.  Tuica is plum brandy.  Horilca is another type of plum brady typically drank near the border with the Ukraine.  Slivovitz or Sliwowitz is another plum brandy drank near the border with serbia.  Rakia is a fruit Alcoholic beverage which maybe made from apples, snerries, peaches, pears and other fruits.  Secarica is a caraway seed brandy.  Turt is a strong plum brandy.  Afinata is a blueberry liqueur.  Zmeurata is a raspberry liqueur.  Visinata is a Romania drink made from sour cherries, sugar, and alcohol. Vin is the name for wine.  Vodca is the romanian word for vodka.

 

Pork rules Romanian cooking so it can be difficult to find Kosher foods in Romania.  But there are still quite a few recipes that can be prepared Kosher and another meat always can be used in Romanian recipes.  Additionally, most meals contain meat so being a vegetarian in Romania is feasible but usually do not involve traditional Romanian foods.

 

Below are some Romanian and other recipes.

 

 

Alivanca Recipe or Cheese pie

 

Baked or Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe or Salata de Prajita Piper 

 

Cauliflower and Tomatoes Salad Recipe or Salata de Conopida si Rosii

 

 

Coltunasi cu Branza Recipe or Cheese Dumplings

 

Cozonaci Recipe or Rolls

 

Lamb with Mushrooms Recipe or Miel cu Ciuperci

 

Mamaliga Recipe or Polenta

 

 

Pasca with Cream Recipe or Pasca cu Crema

 

Sarmale Recipe or Stuffed Cabbage

 

Wine Jelly Recipe or Jeleu de Vin

 

 

 

Beef Fillet from Cravedia Recipe or Filet de Boeuf de la Cravedia

 

 

Block of Lamb Recipe which is also called Drob de miel

 

 

 

Meatball Soup Recipe which is also called Ciorba de perisoare 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transylvanian Chicken Stew Recipe  which is also called Tochitura ardeleneasca.

 

 

 

 

Ardei Copti Recipe or Roasted Peppers

 

Caltabosi Moldovenesti Recipe or Moldavian Black Pudding

Cartofi la cuptor cu oua si branza Recipe or Baked potatoes with eggs and cheese

 

Chiftele Recipe or Meatballs

 

Ciorba de Perisoare Recipe or Meatball Soup

 

Oua Umplute cu Maioneza Recipe or Mayonnaise Stuffed Eggs

 

Oua Umplute cu Peste Recipe or Eggs Stuffed with Fish

 

Plachie de Peste Recipe or Fish Meal

 

Salata de Vinete Recipe or Eggplant Salad

 

 

Turta Din Faina de Grau Recipe which is also called Wheaten Flour Flat Cake.

 

Turte de Ajun Recipe or Christmas Eve Flat Cakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sauerkraut Soup with Mushrooms and Split Peas Recipe which is also called Zupa Kapusnaih

 

 

 

 

 

 

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