Bucharest is the capital of Romania. Pork, beef, chicken, and other kinds of meat protein can be found in many main dishes. However, vegetarians have a few choices else well. If you love eating as much as we do, then get ready! We will show you precisely what are some tasty and traditional foods and drinks in this beautiful city.
Discover with us:
Salty food
Sarmale Cu Mămăligă
Sarmale Cu Mămăligă can be found in every traditional eatery. They are a culinary preparation of minced meat (usually pig, cattle, sheep, poultry, or even seafood) wrapped in rolled cabbage leaves with rice and other ingredients. They're typically accompanied by polenta and cream. SARMALES are boiled in a cast-iron cauldron or a clay pot over medium heat to make them tasty. It is thought that if they are eaten after "staying" for 2-3 days, they will have a distinct flavor. You've most likely encountered sarmale in other nations during your travels. It's no surprise. Sarmales are also made in Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, and the Republic of Moldova, but only in Romania will you eat Sarmales cooked this way.
Ciorbă De Fasole Cu Ciolan
Ciorba de fasole cu ciolan (Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hock) is a traditional dish in Romania. There are apparent differences between areas. It is cooked with a variety of veggies in the country's south. It is flavored with an abundance of dills in Moldova. It is seasoned with cream in Transylvania and heavier with a tablespoon of vinegar or borscht. Bean soup with smoked ham hock is a nationwide favorite, regardless of region.
Saramură De Crap
On certain days during the year's fasting periods, believers can consume fish. The preparation of seafood became a competition among the Romanians. Carp pickle, or Saramura De Crap, is delicious—a mouthwatering sauce with tomatoes, hot peppers, dill, pepper, and bay leaves. The carp finish off the flavor, and the last flavor is polenta.
Ciorba de Burt
There are various varieties of CIORB DE BURT (tripe or belly broth) in Romania, but the most popular ones are made with cream and are served with vinegar and garlic sauce. Ciorba de Burtă is a beef stew with the primary ingredient, beef belly, cut into strips and based on vegetables like carrots, guillemots, and celery.
Sweet food
Papanasi
Papanasi (Romanian Donuts) dessert is made from sweet cottage cheese prepared with eggs, flour, semolina, breadcrumbs, and sugar. They are typically served with cream and marmalade but can also be served with sugar sprinkled on top. Denmark has a legend about donuts with a hole in the center. It is said that a ship's captain was trapped in huge waves while attempting to move the rudder while eating a donut. Then he inserted his donut into one of the rudder spokes, allowing him to use both limbs. As a result, housewives adapted these donuts with a hole in the middle to the culture of each nation. You must try them with cream and blueberry or cherry jam. You will feel that you have reached heaven!
Plăcintă cu urdă
Plăcintă cu urdă is a light Romanian pastry filled with a combination of urdă cheese, brânză cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Raisins soaked in orange juice or rum, smântână, and orange or lemon zest are commonly used to enhance the taste of this dish. The treat can be served hot or cold, with granulated or powdered sugar.
Gogoşi
The gogoși is a donut made in the Romanian manner, deep-fried in hot oil after being made from a dough mixture flavored with vanilla extract and grated lemon or orange zest. Traditional gogoşi is made without yeast or butter and is added to hot oil in spoonfuls, resulting in donuts that are not round but have a variety of irregular forms. Gogoşi is a typical homemade treat sold in bakeries and stores throughout Romania under the name "infuriated gogoşi." It is filled with chocolate or berry jams and served warm with a generous sprinkle of icing sugar on top.
Drinks
Țuică
Traditional plum-based liquor from Romania (similar to whisky) contains 20% to 60% alcohol. This flavor-infused liquor is only found in Romania. A shot glass of ţuica is typically sipped before dinner. It is also sipped rather than shot. Tuica is traditionally prepared from early October to early December and is typically finished before Christmas. Good tuica is made entirely of plums and yeast, with no added sugar. Plum fermentation can last anywhere from 6-8 weeks, after which extraction occurs.
Vișinată & Afinată
Vișinată is a sweet & sour cherry brandy, and according to scholars, the history of this sour cherry brandy dates back at least two thousand years. However, since many Romanians make vișinată at home, there isn't a set formula for it. The primary components are alcohol, sugar, and tart cherries. When Romanians marinate their vişinată, the beverage has a deeper, fruitier flavor. Don't drink this beverage too quickly; it's intended to be sipped and savored slowly.
On the other hand, similar to vișinată is afinată, which is another tasty liqueur to enjoy with dessert or before dinner. Afinată contains wild blueberries in place of tart cherries. Small batches of this traditional Romanian beverage are frequently made at home, but most bars and eateries also serve it. While Afinată is more prevalent in the mountainous areas of Romania than in Bucharest, it is still easily accessible there.
Romania Traditional Wines
Romania is Europe's fifth-largest wine producer, a tradition that the nation is proud of. Romanian wines extend back 6000 years, indicating that this is a skill that Romanians have honed over the millennia. Feteasca Neagra is the most famous red wine variety, and Feteasca Alba is the white counterpart from the Moldova wine region.
Palinca
If you thought the traditional Romanian drinks listed above were potent, wait until you try Palinca! This is ţuică that has been double-distilled, which results in an even higher alcohol level. This type is more prevalent in northern Romania and Transylvania. To demonstrate their hospitality, people in many towns nationwide will greet their visitors with a small glass of Palinca.
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