Romanian Food:  Diverse and Delicious European Cuisine

Variety is the spice of life when it comes to Romanian cuisine and you’ll find that most dishes are influenced by a number of nationalities. This is what makes Romanian food so diverse and yes, so delicious.

Here are just a few examples of the wide range of dishes from this vibrant European country as well as a few drinks that will act as the perfect accompaniment.

A wealth of influences

Germany, Italy, Poland, France and Russia have all played their part in shaping the Romanian cuisine. The country has also been occupied in the past by the Greeks and Romans meaning you can expect many recognisable flavours in this type of food. It also means you’ve got a lot of choice when it comes to paring Romanian food with the perfect drinks. Wine is generally the preferred drink and you can keep it simple with a sparkling glass of rose champagne or go traditional with a variety of fruit based brandies.

Choose your appetizer

Branza- which means cheese- is always an excellent starter and no dinner party would be complete without a variety of cheeses, salamis and a few sausages. Strong Romanian cheese can include Bryndza, a creamy white sheep’s milk cheese, which is mild to begin with but is strong to finish. Penteleu is another tasty option along with some Polish or Hungarian sausages. Serve a traditional plum brandy such as a tuica as your drink of choice.

How tuica is made:

Popular main meals

It would be impossible to list all of popular Romanian dishes but why not start off with a delicious soup such as a sour meatball or a bowl of sour cabbage soup. A beef salad is another popular main and recipes for this dish do vary between regions; salată de boeuf does translate to beef salad but fillings can include chicken and root vegetables. This is a very popular dish for special occasions and is often served over the festive period. A snitel is an absolutely mouth-watering dish and the popular Cordon bleu șnițel, which is a pork loin stuffed with ham and cheese, is bound to delight guests.

Ciorba de perisoare

Time for desert

Everyone loves a sweet dessert– especially the ones that include fruits such as cherries or some raspberry jam – plus they do go exceedingly well with a chilled glass of champagne or sparkling wine. Serve your guests a thin, French style crepe called a clatite, which can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. A savarina is a delightful sweet cake infused with rum syrup, filled with cream and usually topped with a cherry. You can try out a raspberry liqueur zmeurata or a spuma de drojdie.

Savarine

Papanasi

These are simply a few of the wide variety of dishes served in Romania throughout the year. Take some time to research the many different recipes available and you may just be surprised how diverse this cuisine actually is.

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Tesco.

Photos: Flickr