The delicious taste of Romania

Carte de bucate in limba engleza. Let's Cook! Icre, Sarmale, Parjoale, Chilly Jelly Bird, Red Beet Bors, Mighty Hard Mamaliga, Tuch-in Skirt, Pasca, Chocolate Tort, Visinata etc. HAVE YOU EVER TASTED HOME-MADE ROMANIAN CUISINE? If so, then, you are really one of the most fortunate people in the world! If not, then without a doubt, you have missed experiencing one of the most refined and distinctive cuisine worldwide. Therefore, please take my advice and do not postpone any longer your encounter with the delicious taste of Romanian gastronomy. Not only will you not be disappointed, but I am rather confident that once you taste these succulent, refreshing and unforgettable dishes, you will become one of their devotees. How do I know? Well, after all, that’s exactly what happened to me! Being born and raised in Belleville, a cozy little town from New Jersey, I had the amazing luck to grow up in a serene small community, while being only minutes away from the cosmopolite New York City. Belleville (French for “Beautiful Town”), known as well as the “Cherry Blossom Capital of America”, due to its large park of cherry trees, has attracted throughout its 350 years of existence immigrants from all over the world. The settlers brought with them not only their hopes for a better life, but also their culture, their traditions and of course their CUISINE. Nowadays, their culinary heritage is preserved as a distinctive part of the amazing network of restaurants centered on Manhattan that represents, without any embellishment, every ethnicity on the globe. Within a few square miles you will find any type of cuisine you can wish for: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Greek, Turkish, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Filipino, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Tunisian, Moroccan, just to name a few of them. Therefore, nobody is surprised that the Big Apple is also called the “Biggest Restaurant City” in the world. For all the gourmand people, a group to which I proudly confess I belong, this place is nothing else but pure HEAVEN! As for myself, be sure that I have never passed down any occasion to indulge with the delicate dishes of this UNIVERSE of CUISINES. On the other hand, I was also very fortunate that my mother, my two sisters and my brother enjoyed the same hobby as me; COOKING! I treasure and always remember with pleasure those joyous moments when we were appeasing our culinary passion by preparing the most appealing dishes found in our rather extensive collection of cooking books on the various cuisines from around the world. Now, without infatuation, I have to admit that being exposed to such a great variety of traditional cuisines, I sincerely started to believe that the possibility of being amazed by the look or the flavor of a new dish was infinitesimally small. OOH! HOW WRONG COULD I HAVE BEEN! It so happened, that my assumption was proven wrong when Bogdan, then my fiancée, and I were celebrating the arrival of his mother in States from Romania, as well as, the first meeting of our families. On this occasion, sweet mama Valeria enticed my family in having a traditional Romanian dinner. Once the necessary ingredients were piled up on the kitchen counter, I can vividly remember how mama Valeria joyously clapped her hands, rolled up her sleeves with enthusiasm and started to work with the happiness of a child who got her favorite toy. Working with the nonchalance of a Great Chef, mama Valeria was sharing with us the little secrets of those dishes, while telling stories or making jokes almost at every “add” or “stir in”. In no time, under our amazed eyes, her magic hands brought to life one by one mesmerizing works of art. The feast started with a shot of the famous Romanian Palinca, an unbelievably strong prune brandy with a divine smell and smooth taste, a “pure medicine” as described by mama Valeria, that suppressed any remnants of our inhibitions and warmed us up within seconds. After widely opening the windows, we turned off the fire, lit within us by palinca, with an exceptionally flavorful Bor? (an aristocratic relative of borsch) accompanied by a warm, fluffy and golden M?m?liga (a refined cousin of polenta), while whipping, once in a while, our palate with bites of hot red peppers. This dish was so fantastic, that we could not put our spoons down until all the bor? from the pot disappeared. While some of us, but of course not I, were wondering if they had any more room for the second dish, mama Valeria with a Victorian calm challenged us for a second shot of palinca. To our bewilderment as soon as this magic potion embraced our bodies, our appetite for food and life returned with a vengeance. Now, in front of us was laying a brave army of steamy and juicy Sarmale (meat rolled in cabbage or vine leaves), all lined up around a dollop of fresh sour cream and near a mountain of m?m?liga, just waiting for the final attack. Armed with our forks and a dark red Romanian wine of Feteasc? Neagr? we stood up to the challenge and attacked! Oh, Joy! These divine soldiers were melting one by one in our mouths and be sure that the conquest did not stop until the last defiant enemy disappeared as well. Finally, mama Valeria culminated her triumphal march with the Grand Finale – THE CHOCOLATE TORT – an outstanding and memorable victory in any culinary epopee. To capture our attention even more we were served a sweet white wine of Cotnari and to revive our overwhelmed senses we were offered black coffee prepared ŕ la România. What a FEAST! Well, that dinner was definitely a turning point in my life. Since then, I spent as much time as possible cooking and savoring together with mama Valeria those amazing dishes, and learning the secrets of traditional Romanian cuisine. Those moments are simply unforgettable; now that mama is in heaven, sometimes as I cook, I can still feel her presence right by my side and remember her lovely words of wisdom. When mama passed away, after bravely fighting with cancer, our two little girls, Bogdan and I came to Romania and decided to stay here for a long period of time. The few good years I have spent in Romania, offered me the incredible chance to learn more about, to understand and even to identify myself with Romania’s culture and traditions. One of the most amazing things that I have realized during this breathtaking experience is that Romanian cuisine is the quintessence of ROMANIA itself. To understand and appreciate these scrumptious masterpieces, you have to know at least a bit about their creator, thus, in the first two chapters of this book, I have tried to introduce you to some essential data about Romanians. Romanian gastronomy mirrors perfectly the complex history of this country as well as the personality and genius of a tremendously proud, creative and resilient nation. Living at the crossroads of relentless waves of migratory populations and surrounded by ambitious kings and emperors, Romanians miraculously managed for thousands of years not only to survive, but also to preserve their language, religious beliefs and traditions. While many of their neighbors disappeared in the dawns of history, Romanians, stubbornly faithful to their saying “Water flows, stones remain”, continued to create their unique culture, to enrich it, and to protect it with their life. Romanian cuisine is a true legacy of this brave nation. It is pure poetry written with the laughter of children, the wisdom of the elders, the beauty of the women and the strength of the men. It is an inspiring ode that celebrates life, death and resurrection; happiness and hope; bravery and glory; love and kindness. Counting hundreds of original recipes processed and improved over thousands of years, incorporating ingredients of an incredible wide variety, addressing and satisfying a broad spectrum of one’s taste, and built on the four season cycle of nature, indisputably Romanian gastronomy reaches towards perfection. To my sadness, this divine cuisine is not well known outside Romania’s borders; most of the time, one can find just a few recipes crammed in some elusive chapter on Eastern European Cuisine. Furthermore, at my arrival in Romania I have found a rich literature on traditional Romanian cooking, however, none of these books were in English or in any other foreign languages. Unfairly overlooked, traditional Romanian cuisine is definitely an aristocratic Cinderella of the culinary world, waiting patiently to be discovered by its Prince Charming. But nowadays, waiting is no longer the answer! In order to take its well deserved seat of honor, the harmonious and delicious taste of Romanian food has to be persistently and repeatedly promoted. I envisioned this book as my modest contribution towards this important goal. Through this small selection of Romanian cuisine, I have tried to open for non-Romanians a little window over a millenary cooking experience. One little problem I had to overcome when preparing these traditional dishes is that Romanian recipes are not too generous with details; for example, quantities for ingredients that can dramatically change the taste of a dish, such as salt, pepper, dill, parsley, lovage etc. are commonly left upon one’s taste. Therefore, the recipes, including the cookbooks, are more of general guidelines; to cook a specific dish you have to either be acquainted with Romanian cuisine, or to learn from a knowledgeable person. At the same time, it is not uncommon to find nonstandard measures such as the famous “small cup of coffee” or “mug”. Taking into consideration that this book was written mostly for people that are unfamiliar with Romanian cuisine, including here beginners in the cooking art, I have strived to tailor these recipes to be as explicit and precise as possible. Throughout the years, I have prepared each of these recipes multiple times, both in the US and Romania; without offense, unquestionably all the ingredients have an unrivaled better taste in Romania. If you have never been to Romania and wonder what this country is like, the most pleasurable way to find out is to dare and prepare one of these delicious recipes. I am sure that it will capture your senses, and most likely entice you to visit this legendary country. Once you are in Romania, please remember to say “Noroc!” (”Good Luck!” or “Cheers!”) when toasting, and “Poft? Bun?!” (“Have a good appetite!” or “Enjoy!”) before starting any meal.