The Gastronomic Tour of Romania
The local cuisine, traditional music and dances are the main ingredients for an unforgettable holiday.
Ana-Maria Cononovici, 22.08.2013, 15:37
Because the Orthodox Easter is celebrated in the first week of May, the month of April comes with a big offer of events devoted to this holiday, such as painted eggs festivals and traditional food fairs, where people from various parts of Romania come to show their skills.
Gastronomic festivals are attracting an increasing number of tourists in search of new dishes, traditions and people. That’s why we’ll first take you to the Varlaam village in the county of Buzau, eastern Romania. In May, sheep breeders celebrate the Weaning of Lambs, occasion on which a feast is organized. Maria Blidaru, the festival’s organizer and the owner of a guesthouse in the village, tells us more about the surprises in store for tourists:
Maria Blidaru: “The weaning of lambs is a spring celebration, when the sheep set off for the mountains and the lambs are left in the folds. Lamb meat dishes are prepared on this occasion, while cheese is prepared on the spot, in front of the participants, as tradition calls it. This is an open-air celebration and we do our best to promote our products: the Varlaam dumplings with butter and cheese or with lamb meat. We organize all sorts of cooking competitions to highlight these products’ quality and taste.”
This year the festival in Varlaam will be held on May 11th, on the first Saturday after the Orthodox Easter. We recommend you book rooms in guesthouses in advance, because several hundred people are usually attending the festival.
Another interesting destination is the village of Turia, in Covasna County, central Romania. On Turia Days, an international food festival is staged. Even a world record was set here when a 60-meter-long dumpling with cheese was made. The village of Tismana, in Gorj County, southwestern Romania, is also worth visiting. An Aspic Festival is organized here every year. After a delicious meal, a walk would be exactly what you need. Not only the walk, but also the destination is important, as the Tismana Monastery, built in the 14th century is located here. Its painter used vegetal colours, including a special kind of red, today known as the “Tismana red.”
Another hot spot for Romanian traditional food lovers is Praid, in Harghita county, that hosts some of best known stuffed cabbage rolls festivals. People from all over Romania and even Hungary are competing for the best cook title. Aautumn has its gastronomic temptations, such as the Cheese and Pastrami Festival in Bran, in Brasov County, central Romania. On this occasion local shepherds will lure tourists to sample traditional mutton products and try out homemade wine and plum brandy.
Another favourite destination among food lovers is Bercea village in Buzau County. It is here that every October a festival devoted to the Plescoi sausages is held. To this day the sausages are prepared observing old recipes which the locals like to keep secret. Further south, in Bailesti, Dolj County, villagers organize the Grape Juice and Leek Festival, where local recipes will indulge even those guests who are difficult to please.
As an option, you can also plan a visit to one of Romania’s famous wine cellars. Marius Pasca takes charge of the tourist department at the Recas Wine Cellars in Timis County. He presented us the best of its wine offers:
Marius Pasca: “Wine is man’s companion throughout the most important stages of human life, from our birth to our death. This is one good reason why people want to better understand this companion and its origins. People come to see how and where wine is made. Our menus are always related to wine, from traditional menus specific to Western Romania, to international menus based on fish, seafood, salads, Goulash, potato-based dishes, to name just a few recipes. Nothing is left to chance in wine sampling. Wine is best appreciated when served with appropriate dishes which must be prepared by master chefs”.
