The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Romanian Foods. If you manage to be in an Romanian restaurant or you are visiting Romania, I recommend the following:
1. Sarmale
The quintessential traditional Romanian dish, Sarmale is made of minced meat (usually pork, a combination of pork and chicken or simply poultry) mixed with rice and spices, rolled in fermented cabbage leaves and boiled for hours in a special sauce made with sauerkraut juice, tomato juice, water and other ingredients.
2. Mămăligă
It is probably the second dish that Romanians will use as an example for traditional Romanian food, after Sarmale (and maybe after Mici). It is very similar to Polenta: cornmeal boiled in water with a dash of salt and a few drops of sunflower oil. It is usually served with traditional Romanian cheese and sour cream and is often used as a garnish for Sarmale, Varza a la Cluj or other dishes.
3. Salata De Boeuf
A well-prepared salad is an essential dish in Romania, especially on traditional holidays such as Christmas, as well as on special occasions such as weddings. This delicious mixture of minced meat (beef/chicken), vegetables, peas, pickles and mayonnaise served with parsley and olives is a winner of a dish. Eaten as an accompaniment to fried meats/appetizers, the amount of salad prepared depends on the occasion.
4. Papanași
It’s a dish that will leave you wanting more. This Romanian speciality from the northern reaches of the country is essentially hot doughnuts, filled with cottage cheese (or any cow’s cheese) with sweet and sour cream and blueberry jam. This mother of all Romanian desserts is a must.
5. Pomana Porcului
Pomana Porcului is a food dish that uses fresh (freshly killed) pork, cut into large pieces and fried in a deep frying pan, usually in pork fat. It can be found in Romanian restaurants, although the taste is better the fresher the meat. It is usually accompanied by the traditional Tuica Moonshine (a Romanian alcoholic drink).
6. Cozonac
It is a sweet bread filled with Turkish delight (rahat), poppy seed paste or sweet walnut paste and is usually part of every Romanian festival. Cozonac may be prepared differently in each region and may include rum or vanilla flavouring, hazelnuts or walnuts, lemon zest or orange peel, lokum, sultanas, and may be sprinkled with poppy seeds on top. Another style of cooking Cozonac is to fill it with a mixture of ground nuts with ground sultanas, rum essence, cocoa powder and poppy seeds.
7. Mici
Mici or Mititei literally means small. It is a small rolled up piece of meat. They are made from a mixture of minced pork and beef, mixed with spices and garlic as well as baking soda, grilled and eaten hot with mustard. They are similar to Cevapi.
8. Jumări
This traditional, deliciously unhealthy and crunchy fried Jumari appetizer is made from pieces of traditional bacon known as slanina in Romania, which is salted, smoked pork fat, flavoured with paprika, pepper, garlic and many other spices. Prepared by all Romanian families, usually during the winter season, Jumari is served with large chunks of onion and homemade bread, making it the perfect starter.
9. Ciorbă de Burtă
Ciorba de Burta is a popular Romanian dish which is a beef tripe soup. It is prepared by boiling the meat (beef tripe, pig’s feet…) for several hours, creating a delicious broth of bones, peppers, hot peppers, celery, carrots and parsley. It is usually served with sour cream, vinegar and a traditional garlic paste known as mujdei. It is a dish served as a starter, but it is also a popular Romanian hangover remedy.
10. Drob de Miel
A traditional dish at Easter, a very important date for Orthodox Christians, is Drob, a dish you must try if you are a lover of offal, as it is a cake of lamb organs such as liver, heart and lung, cooked in a fried onion and garlic sauce, which is mixed with raw eggs, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper and dill, and then shaped with pre-cooked eggs inside, and finished in the oven.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional European Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.