The Saxon
\nvillages from Transylvania and Banat still preserve specific customs and
\ntraditions associated with Lent. From the Feast of the Epiphany until the
\nbeginning of Lent, these communities used to observe what is known as Fasching,
\nor the Fifth Season. Most festivals and events held at this time of the year
\nare always accompanied by various traditional dishes. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In the western
\nRomanian town of Resita, for example, this festive season started with the
\nNoodles Festival, held in late January. These homemade noodles were originally
\na sweet dish and were served with poppy seeds, walnuts or homemade jam. Later,
\nmeat was also added to the recipe. The Fasching in Resita ends with the
\nDoughnut Festival. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Doughnuts were
\nalso served at the Masks Festival in Agnita, in central Romania. This custom is
\nlinked to a legend from the Middle Ages. It appears that while the citadel of
\nAgnita was under siege by Ottoman troops, a brave young woman wearing a scary
\noutfit came out of the citadel flicking her whip and making deafening noises,
\nthus scaring off the attackers. Today, visitors who recognise the person behind
\nthe mask and the costume gets a free doughnut. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Another event
\nconnected to the Fasching celebrations is the Pancake Festival held every year
\nin Prejmer, in Brasov County, central Romania. An old Saxon custom has been
\nrevived in recent years: groups of young men wearing masks roam the village in
\na cart giving away pancakes they cook on the spot on a stove they take with them.
\nIn exchange, people give them flour, sugar and eggs. These ingredients are used
\nto prepare the doughnuts served at a masked ball held later that same day. The
\nyoung men not only make the pancakes, but also ‘steal’ a local young woman whom
\nthey hold as ransom. Until her parents pay the price for her release, this
\nyoung woman travels with the young men in the cart. The pancakes are, of course, delicious, being served with gem or
\npreserve, walnuts, honey or grated apples as filling. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This is actually
\nquite an easy dish to make. You need a glass of flour, one egg, half a glass of
\nmilk, mineral water or soda, some sunflower oil, sugar and salt. Mix the flour
\nand the egg and add the milk until the mix is soft and creamy. Add the salt and
\nsugar and leave to cool in the fridge for half an hour. Pour some oil in a pan
\nthen pour or scoop the batter into the pan, spreading the batter into a round.
\nBrown on each side, flipping the pancakes carefully with a spatula. Transfer to
\na platter, stacking the pancakes. Serve with the filling of your choice, and of
\ncourse, enjoy! <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Saxon villages from Transylvania and Banat still preserve specific customs and traditions associated with Lent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":173261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45767],"tags":[45826,43064],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-173260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-cooking-show","tag-pancake","tag-romanian-cuisine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n