Traditional Romanian Food: Some Must-Try Dishes
Last Updated on October 11, 2024 by Ingrid
To understand Romania, you only need to look at the map. The region has been at the crossroads of several very different cultures. Naturally, this reality had a significant impact on Romanian traditional food.
Romanian cuisine uniquely blends Turkish, Greek, Russian, Hungarian, and German flavors.
If you are a meat-eater, you will like it here! Due to the climate, with long, cold winters, Romanians have always eaten heavy, meaty dishes and a lot of soups and broths.
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Table of Contents
Traditional Romania food you should try
The best soup and broth
Romanians have a “soup cult.” You always start your lunch with soup or broth, and we also clearly distinguish between the two.
Soup (supa) is usually a lighter, clear liquid with a salty-sweet taste. Depending on the recipe, it may include meat, noodles, or dumplings.
However, ciorba is a more consistent broth that usually has a sour taste. Most recipes are served with bread, sour cream, and hot peppers.
Moreover, each region has its specialties, seasonings, and flavors. From Transylvania to Moldova, there are different kinds of soups and broths you should know about.
In the south (Wallachia) and northeast (Moldova), ciorba soured with grain-based borscht is the rage.
However, the coast and the Danube Delta (Dobrudja) are known for their fish-based ciorba.
Lastly, clear soups are favored in the West (Transylvania and Banat), reflecting Hungarian and German influences. Still, there are plenty of ciorba dishes, but they are usually hot-salty or soured with pickled cabbage sauce or vinegar instead of borscht.
Bean and Tripe broths
But there are two broths most Romanians love, including my Transylvanian husband and Wallachian self: bean (ciorba de fasole) and tripe (ciorba de burta).
Traditionally, bean broth is served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. This method originated in Transylvania but became popular nationwide.
It is thicker and contains smoked pork meat, which gives it a distinct flavor. It must be enjoyed with red onion, although some prefer hot pepper.
Tripe broth is a Romanian cure for a hangover. It is the perfect pick-me-up after a night out clubbing! It is served with bread, sour cream, and hot pepper. Alternatively, you can add garlic sauce.
Unusual Romanian dishes you should try
Piftie is a kind of congee made from pigs’ ears, heads, and feet. It is an appetizer associated with winter and Christmas.
One of my husband’s favorites is battered grilled brain, whether veal or pork. It is delicious, although I hate preparing it.
Caltabosi (a.k.a. sangerete = blood sausage) is a sausage made by stuffing a mix of pork blood and meat into an intestine. It is tastier than it sounds. Since pigs are usually slaughtered before Christmas, the blood sausage is also associated with the winter Holidays.
Veal tongue with olives and leek is a dish popular in southern Romania (southwestern Wallachia, known as Oltenia). I love it!
Traditional Romanian Dishes with Turkish and Greek Influences
Sarmale
Sarmale is a minced meat and rice dish stuffed in pickled cabbage or vine leaves. Romanians consider it the quintessential national dish, although it can be found in most Balkan countries and Hungary.
It is a must-have dish for special meals such as Christmas and Easter family dinners, wedding and baptism parties, etc.
Mici
Mici is another symbolic “national” dish. It is grilled minced meat with special seasonings.
During Labour Day celebrations (i.e., 1st of May in Europe), the entire country is enveloped by the smoke from barbecued mici.
Moreover, different recipes use different types of meat: pork, veal, lamb, or a combination of them. My favorite is prepared from a mix of veal and pork.
You can find similar dishes in other Balkanic countries: Ćevapi in Turkey, Ćevap in Serbia, Ćevapčići in Slovenia.
Smoked pork knuckle on cabbage
This is one of the tastiest dishes, the mother of all dishes. It is similar to its German counterpart.
When we lived in Hong Kong, enjoying this dish at a German-inspired beer hall was the closest we got to the flavors of our home country.
Aubergine salad
Aubergine salad is served as an appetizer, usually with onions. Although it does not look very appealing, it is a delicious dish similar to the Lebanese baba ghanoush.
Someone from Italy once told me she had a friend who cooked this dish, and her son was obsessed with it.
Bulz
It is served in the center and western part of Romania and consists of polenta, cheese, pancetta, and a fried egg baked in the oven until the cheese melts.
Bulz is best enjoyed with a side dish of pickles.
Zacusa
Zacusca is maybe my favorite Autumn food. When my mother cooks it, the house smells like aubergine and pepper goodness.
It is a cream made of vegetables, usually aubergine and red peppers, but there are recipes where the eggplant is replaced with beans or mushrooms.
In many ways, it resembles the Balkanic ajvar.
Amazing Romanian Desserts
Cozonac. Like panettone in Italy, cozonac is the holiday sweet for Romanians.
Cozonac is a kind of sweet bread filled with cocoa and nuts, but also with Turkish delight in some cases.
Mastering the recipe takes a long time, and making it requires a lot of physical effort.
Pasca is a sort of cheesecake, but not quite, traditionally prepared for Easter.
Coliva is a traditional dessert served at funerals. It is a simple and tasty recipe: barley boiled with sugar, nuts, lemon zest, cinnamon, and rum flavor. It is served cold with coconut flakes on top.
Papanasi—the mother of all desserts! Prepare yourself to be blown away by this donut-y extravaganza. It is basically a donut made with cheese and lemon zest, served with a lot of sour cream and fruit jam.
Where to enjoy traditional Romanian food?
“Caru’ cu Bere” in Bucharest (lit., the beer cart). If you are looking for dinner and a show, this is where you will find it! Located in Bucharest’s city center, the restaurant is one of the most popular tourist places, but the food is terrific. You will eat in a historical monument while enjoying traditional music and dances.
“Gaura Dulce” in Brasov (lit., the sweet mouth). While serving delicious traditional Romanian food, the funniest part about this old restaurant in Brasov is its name. Meaning “the sweet hole,” the restaurant has this name because of its location, right in the back of the “Carpathian Deer” restaurant.
“Mahala” in Bucharest. (lit., slum. In medieval times, the word referred to the shanty towns erected outside the city walls). Having a very special design, this relatively new restaurant impresses both with its ambiance and its good traditional food.
“The Old Sibiu” in Sibiu. Right in the heart of Romania, this restaurant offers unique dishes served in Transilvania, all dipped in incredible wine from all parts of the country, from the fruity Tamâioasa Romaneasca to the light yellow Riesling from the Rhine Valley.
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This is a great guide for all the foodies out there. My best tip – often the lesser known restaurants that have a traditional cuisine have some of the best food.