Traditionally,
\nrural Romanians slaughter pigs for the end of Christmas fasting on the Feast of
\nSt. Ignatius, on December 20th. The most common preparations made at
\nthis time and involving pork are sausages, aspic, liverwurst, semi-smoked ham,
\nand stuffed cabbage rolls. Some of these are to be eaten right after the end of
\nthe fasting period, while others are for long term storage, being preserved in
\nvarious ways to be eaten throughout the year. One of the typical ways of
\npreserving meat is to cube it, melt it in its own fat, and then pack it in lard
\ninto jars.<\/p>\n
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In Transylvania, where pork is eaten more than in other
\nareas, two pigs are slaughtered, one right before Christmas, the other after
\nthe New Year. The slaughter ritual includes the preparation of a special dish,
\nserved and made by the people gathered for the event. It is made as a reward
\nfor the work they put in and is served with hot spiced plum brandy. <\/p>\n
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This dish is
\nmade in a Dutch oven, or any cast iron pot. It is made with offal, the internal
\nfat of the pig, which is made into the finest lard that the swine yields. Take
\nrib, shoulder and leg meat, cube it, and fry it in the lard. Add some liver,
\nand let it brown slightly. Add some water, and leave to simmer covered. Mince
\nthe cloves from an entire head of garlic, and throw them in. Towards the end
\nadd some dried thyme and some red wine, and salt and pepper to taste. This
\nspecial dish is served with polenta, and you can also indulge in a glass of red
\nwine, which cuts a bit the fattiness of the dish. Enjoy!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Traditionally, Romanians slaughter pigs for Christmas, an event at which a special dish is served called the pig’s alms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":174676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45767],"tags":[29671],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-174675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-cooking-show","tag-christmas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n