10 Mouth-Watering Romanian Dishes that everyone should try

10 Mouth-Watering Romanian Dishes that everyone should try 

Romania's Most Popular Dishes - Top 10

While Romania is better known internationally for Dracula, Transylvania, and Nadia Comaneci, its lesser- known cuisine is something well worth exploring. Traditional Romanian recipes bring together a mix of ingredients and are heavily influenced by Balkan, Turkish, Serbian, German, and Hungarian cuisines. Due to this enriched experience, Romanian food is varied, filling, and very savory.

1. Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls)

Considered to be Romania's national dish, these stuffed cabbage rolls are actually of Turkish origins, but the Romanians claim that theirs are the best.

And they are probably right.

The initial recipe was strongly modified over time until it reached what is considered to be now the perfect stuffing. A balanced mixture of rice and minced meat (usually pork or pork combined with beef) and other vegetables and local herbs is rolled in cabbage leaves or young grape leaves for a delicate flavor.

Pro tip: if you want to take this dish to the next level, use pickled cabbage leaves for extra flavor.

This is a real comfort food that you can find at every traditional Romanian wedding, or that you can smell on the street during Christmas and New Year holidays. It is made of minced meat (usually pork or in combination with poultry) mixed with spices, rice, and onions, then rolled up in sour (fermented) cabbage leaves, and boiled for hours in a special sauce made of sauerkraut juice, tomato juice, and other secret ingredients.

The tastiest cabbage rolls are those slowly cooked in clay pots in the oven, covered with a little water, some cabbage brine for sourness, and some slices of traditional bacon for a tasty smoky touch. Traditionally served with mamaliga (often translated as polenta, this is a corn flour mush replacing bread in many traditional dishes) and sour cream, the Romanian cabbage rolls are not only delicious, but very creamy, consistent, and extremely satisfying.

In some Romanian regions they use vine leaves instead of cabbage. For fasting or for a vegan choice, the minced meat can be very successfully replaced with a mixture of ground nuts, grated carrots, and chopped mushrooms. Sărmăluțe, as you can find them on restaurant menus, are served with sour cream and hot mămăligă, which brings us to the next staple food.

2. Mămăligă (Polenta)

Usually a side dish for sarmale or served plain with sour cream and Romanian cheese, mămăligă is made from corn flour / corn grits boiled in water with a pinch of salt and a few drops of sunflower oil. Personally my mother-in-law and wife add a little bit of cream while preparation to make it more creamy and honestly it tastes much better that way. Maybe because the cream is also made fresh at home from the milk of cows in my in-laws farm. The freshness of the cream enhances the flavor of this simple yet delicious dish.

It’s very healthy and also pairs well with gravies or stews. Shepherds like to mix it up with salty sheep cheese and make a specialty called “bulz” or "botz de mămăligă". 

3. Ciorba de Burta (tripe soup)

For a bold and brave experience when traveling abroad, you have to try one of the most popular soups in Romania – Beef Tripe Soup. While the name may not sound too appealing, it’s a real delicacy and is sure to make your tongue dance.

Now this is my favorite dish (Soup) in this list. I tried it on my first trip to Romania.

We were on a road trip to Transylvania when we made a stop at one of the restaurants on the highway. My brother-in-law asked me to try this soup. I was a bit apprehensive at first but tried it none the less. And to my surprise it was the most amazing tasting soup I've ever had. Ciorbă refers to a type of traditional soup which can be served in many different ways, depending on the ingredients used.

When it comes to tripe soup, you either love it or hate it. This traditional food has a very strong aroma and a velvety texture which is the result of several hours of work. Besides the beef tripe, this dish also uses beef and pork legs which, are boiled for several hours in order to obtain the delicious soup.

Considered the ultimate hangover remedy, Tripe Soup is made from the stomach of a cow, vegetables, and special bones, flavored with lots of garlic and soured with vinegar.

Counterintuitively, the tripe is not the most important part of the dish, but the soup itself. Besides the bones, several vegetables are used to obtain its delicious taste, such as carrots, bell peppers, hot peppers, celery, and parsley.

Close to the end, a couple of garlic cloves are added in order to enrich the flavor, and everything is served with sour cream, hot peppers, and toast.

4. Ciorba Radautean (Radauti Soup)

Ciorbă refers to a type of traditional soup which can be served in many different ways, depending on the ingredients used. But the one called rădăuțeană is among the most appreciated in Romania.

"Invented" in the late '70s in the city of Radauti, this dish is actually an alternative to the above-mentioned soup - the tripe soup, which was considered to be too heavy and many people didn't enjoy the particular flavor of the tripe. So instead of tripe, ciorba rădăuțeană uses chicken breast.

To keep it simple, this dish has plenty of sour cream and garlic in it, and for the specific sour taste, vinegar is used. It's a delicious soup, not too fatty and not too heavy either, but a whole meal in itself.

Best served with homemade bread.

5. Mici (Grilled Minced Meat Rolls) 

Another one of my favorites. My father-in-law first made it during the summer of 2008 when we visited for vacation. The soft, tender and juicy meat, barbecued to perfection immediately became one of my favorite foods in Romania and I've had it every time we have visited in the past 12 years. Meats on the grill, barbecuing in the garden outside the house, fills the air with the aroma of the tender juices and meat fragrances, that are irresistible.

Literally translated as “Small ones” because they used to be only as big as an adult finger, Mici are truly delicious and very popular on barbecues, street food, cottage weekends, and birthday celebrations. It’s another food that can be smelled from miles away and makes you mouth water; and it is easy to make. All you need is minced pork and beef mixed with garlic, spices, and sodium bicarbonate. Form the mixture into small sausage-like portions and put them on the grill. Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, you can savor them best with only mustard and bread.

I don't normally like mustard, but the combination of home-made bread, mustard and "Mici" was just irresistible.

6. Drob de miel (Lamb Drob)

This is a dish that is best served cold. I had it first time 12 years ago when my wife made it for Easter. Being from India, I am not used to having a main dish served cold. But my wife assured me that once I have tasted it, I will surely enjoy the flavors. I must say after my first bite i couldn't put down my plate and asked for several more servings of it.

Lamb Drob is a festive Easter dish that looks like meatloaf with boiled eggs inside. But this tasty appetizer is much more than meets the eye. Minced lamb offal, green onions, eggs, and bread dipped in milk are baked together along with fresh cut herbs, such as dill and parsley, and garlic. During preparations, special attention is paid to washing the offal. There is also a variation with chicken or turkey liver that some people prefer.  Lamb Drob is served cold.

7. Cozonac (Sweet Bread)

There is no Christmas or Easter without this traditional Romanian dessert.  The pride of every cook, Cozonac can be a real challenge for a household because it has to be done right. Kneading the dough is demanding work and the whole process takes a while, but the result is truly rewarding. This Romanian dessert is a type of sweetbread filled with sweet walnut paste, poppy seed paste, or Turkish delight and raisins. It can also be found all year round in stores or fairs, but nothing compares with the taste of a homemade one.

8. Salata de vinete (Roasted Eggplant Salad)

One of the most cooked and eaten Romanian appetizers, the eggplant salad is the perfect choice for a quick snack and an amazing starter for a traditional Christmas dinner. It is easy and cheap to make, and you can top it with tomatoes or feta cheese.

The traditional way to prepare this appetizer is to roast the eggplants on a grill until they become really soft, but you can also roast them on the stove top or bake them in the oven. Afterward, all you have to do is remove the skin, chop them, and dress them either with sunflower oil and chopped onions or mayonnaise and garlic.

It is best with home-made bread or even as a topping on tomato and capsicum slices instead of bread.

9. Papanasi with sour cream and jam

Returning to desserts, Papanași always makes you come back for more. Originating from the northern part of the country, this calorie bomb is very popular among all Romanians with a sweet tooth. It’s a donut shaped cottage cheese and semolina mixture that is first fried and then covered in sour cream and jam, preferably blueberry. Maybe it doesn't sound too appetizing but the taste and the gummy texture combined with the blueberries' sourness is absolutely divine! This sour and sweet combination is a complete delight for your senses and feast for your eyes.

10. Salata De Boeuf (Beef Salad)

And last but not the least there is the all time favorite Salata De Boeuf.

No dinner party is complete without Beef Salad. This festive dish is really easy to make from ingredients “saved” from making a soup. Along with vegetables and meat cut into small cubes, the dish includes mayonnaise and is completed with pickles. It tastes so appetizing because all the ingredients added are fresh from the farms and even the mayonnaise is made from scratch at home and not the ready to use market bought one.The original recipe is made with beef, but nowadays many Romanians replace the beef with chicken.

These are the few mouth watering dishes that are most famous and most of which i have tasted myself and have mentioned here from my own personal experience.

In my next blog i will talk about some more dishes that afford a mention.
To be continued until next time.....

Romanian food may not look very fancy but it’s very tasty and inviting. The recipes are being passed forward through generations without losing their identity or taste.